Fixing the Bow
by Aurora Bluewolf
Summary: Speedy finds himself caught by Jokers, but refuses to call Green Arrow. Maybe Yaoi  if you want to see it , some humor along the way, minor drug use, and lots of drama. No likey, no read. M for a reason. Undergoing revisions. Please be patient.
1. Chapter 1

Ok, READ THIS FIRST! This story might be yaoi aka guy on guy action. It's 'Christmas Arrow' Green Arrow and Speedy/Red Arrow. If you do not like, do not read.

Other side notes: I will be using 'Speedy' when it's just Green and him, but 'Red Arrow' when he's around other people. Pairings: Green Arrow/ Red Arrow (Speedy) if you squint.

I don't own DC comics or any of the characters being used here. I'm just taking them for a test drive… and slightly suspecting I should apply for a writing job with Cartoon Network.

Seriously, if you don't like, turn around NOW. I do not want flamers here. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED IN ADVANCE.

*undergoing revisions. Please be patient.

* * *

Roy couldn't believe it. What the hell happened? How the hell did it happen? This wasn't even supposed to be possible.

It all started when he had made a run for the goods. Yeah, those goods. The kind he'd kept secret from not only his friends in Batman's kiddy group, but from Ollie as well. Hell, he'd kept it a secret for some time now, and frankly, he felt like there was no way he could turn to his ment- _former_ mentor. After all, Ollie always treated him like family. Like he always had a place to go but there was no way he could even think about giving his old mentor a ring in this condition. It was embarrassing to say the least… track marks up and down both arms, eyes carrying bags twice his dwindling weight, and now tied up in his seller's warehouse while his goons decided to feel him up whenever they damned well pleased.

He actually hadn't eaten in days, and thankfully he'd forgotten his Spee- Red Arrow suit at his place. No one would report a rogue superher- _sidekick_ missing. Especially one that left his mentor so abruptly. Roy was certain that Ollie was still sore over their last confrontation… and at that point, they had argued even later that evening about the embarrassment they both underwent in front of the league and the new 'team' as Ollie had called it. Roy took off that evening and didn't look back. Star City was his home, and Star City had more apartments than Ollie would ever try looking for him in. The next evening, he decided to try something that Ollie would _never_ approve of- just to prove that he could do it. He cashed in $100 for heroin, and one thing led to another. He lost his virginity, found himself among 'new friends', and subsequently landed himself here about a month later. He tried to overdose after seeing Green with his new lost puppy- _Artemis_. Oh yeah, and then he'd woke up the next morning late for work and vomiting like there was no tomorrow. And he actually allowed his thoughts to wander back to the previous evening of wanting that bastard to come save him. Of all the people in the world, he wanted that jerk to save him from himself.

Just fuck.

Green didn't want anything to do with him. He wouldn't save him, even if he landed himself in the hospital with that bastard as his only contact. Hell, he'd probably call Bats to come get him before ever relenting to the jerk that abandoned him in front of the league.

But as for now, he was trying to make sure his pants didn't come off for these groping morons. His shirt and jacket had already been taken and thrown somewhere. And the only reason he was tied up in front of these guys was that he didn't have the guts to throw them off when they tackled him to the ground in his junked up state.

"So, this is what's become of the infamous 'Speedy'. Green Arrow's kid, right?" The mob boss said, taking his time to allow his eclipsing shadow to cover Roy's face as he knelt down and gripped the young man's tied arm, still stinging from the needle. Roy tried to lash out, but failed as his legs missed entirely. The boss gave an evil chuckle, which then rose to a clown's laugh.

Oh no- nonono- no- Jokers.

This was bad.

If Bat's old crew had taken the time to come to Star City and targeted him. Something was seriously wrong in the league. And while his hurt heart wanted to blame the elder arrow, he couldn't think that even their spat would justify this kind of betrayal.

"Screw off." He responded, wincing at the harshness of his voice. He must have been here for longer than he thought. Given that he was acting completely in defense, he really felt like somewhere in the back of his undrugged mind, there was that annoying little voice of reason.

"No one's coming for you _Speedy_" The ever annoying voice of the Joker hissed into his ear as the cackles ceased. "Not even lover boy."

Lover boy?

"Your little Greeny has abandoned you. I take it he won't mind us testing out our new biochemical toy on his _former_ protégé." The Joker hissed in his ear as he felt the bite of a needle press into an exposed vein. Everything got really fuzzy, but all Roy could think about was what the Joker had said.

'Lover boy?' was the only thought that hit his mind before the drug took over, sending him into a deep cloud of swirling darkness.

* * *

Ollie wasn't a happy man… and when he wasn't happy, all he could do was sit around and be a bitchy little billionaire.

Currently, he was nagging his butler to get him another 1987 glass of red Chateau Montellana while he beat the ever living crud out of Quan Shi in Mortal Kombat (as Reptile, but you saw that coming…) in his pajamas. He missed the days when Roy would sit less than a foot from him on this very sofa while they gave the butler a day off. And since they would be alone, Roy would lose the shirt, revealing that building chest and those unbelievably perfect abs…and poor Oliver would just stare when Roy wasn't looking or had dozed off against the many pillows they kept around. After he and Roy had the fight, Roy left, and Ollie never got the chance to apologize or explain. True, he had believed that Roy, despite being 16, was more than ready to join the big dogs in the Justice League. And he didn't actually know that Roy wasn't going to join, or the other kids for that matter, but he felt like he really let Roy down more than anything else. Roy meant the world to him, and the fact that the kid looked so disappointed when they last spoke just killed him. So when he went to talk to the kid later, he was hurt to find that all the kid's things were gone and he was nowhere to be found. Oliver couldn't think what to do after that. Well, aside from the 'brat tantrum' he threw once he realized the kid was actually gone. And Roy was 16, so in Star City, he was legally allowed to be on his own if he wanted to. Oliver couldn't do anything to get him back either, which stung worse than the time his first quantum arrow exploded in his face (it wasn't as big of a blast as his later inventions, but it still stung badly).

Oh what he would give to have Roy here, even just for a minute. Hell, he'd even left the windows open the last few nights in the rare hope that the kid would wander back and decide to come in.

"Master Oliver, there is a phone call for you." The butler said, handing him the phone as he paused his game at the exact moment that Reptile ate Quan Chi's head.

"Hello?" Oliver said, trying to stay as calm as possible as he silently hoped for the young apprentice to speak…

"Oliver, it's Bruce." The stoic voice of Batman came through the line, making Oliver's shoulder's droop in defeat as he tried to hold it together by what few strings of his patience wasn't completely frazzled.

"Hi Bruce. What's up?" He managed to mumble out without too much trouble. He personally wanted to kill the man right now for having such a picture fucking perfect life with Robin. Why couldn't Speedy just see things his way? And why the hell did he have to run off on him like that? He could have just waited for five minutes for the man to explain what happened… but then again… it wouldn't have been his Speedy if he hadn't acted irrationally once in a blue moon.

"There's been word of Jokers in your territory. I was wondering if you had any run ins with them in the last few days." Bruce asked, making Oliver ponder for a moment. Jokers? In his neck of the woods? What the hell were they up to here? Star City didn't have as much traffic of goods they normally targeted. Not like Gotham.

"Can't say I have Brucey. Why do you ask?" Oliver questioned. He could have sworn he heard Bruce sigh on the other end of the phone.

"Because they sent me some pictures through the Justice League address. They must have faked capturing Speedy. I was worrie-" Oliver didn't even hear the rest. He knew Bruce was talking, but it was all a buzzing sound as his thoughts rushed to Speedy.

"Where are they keeping him?" Oliver demanded. Bruce shut up in an instant.

"What do you mean Oliver?" Bruce said, startled by the aggression behind Oliver's normally happy voice. Oliver could have sworn the phone in his hand was screaming for mercy from his death grip.

"Speedy left me after the incident at the Justice League and the new team. He packed up his stuff and left." Oliver said, resigned to the fact that he felt like a complete failure when it came to Speedy.

"Oliver, can't you just send the cops after him? He's a runaway right?" Bruce said, trying to be as sympathetic as one man can be towards another when it came to advice with kids. Robin had never left him, so he really didn't know what to do about a kid who didn't want to be near an adult like Oliver. The man himself never seemed to grow up, so most kids adored him. Speedy was the only one who ever seemed to dislike the idea of staying a kid for a few more years.

"No. Here he can run off. He's 16, Bruce. I mean, I met him when he was 8, and since then he's always been here. I- can't think of life without him here. It's so cold in this damn house without him. I mean- fuck- I miss him so much. I don't even know where to start looking." Oliver barely managed to keep his composure as his emotions raged against his steadfast façade. Bruce sat straight up in his chair, waving off his secretary.

"He looks like he's in a warehouse… somewhere near water judging from the birds in the window. Try the piers. And you might want to hurry…" Bruce said, his voice stiff as he did his best to understand how the man was feeling.

"Why? What's happening to Speedy?" Oliver asked, breath catching in his throat. Bruce sighed deeply.

"I think it'd be better if a showed you. Get on your computer." Bruce said, trying his best not to jump out of his chair and rush to Star City to help his friend.

"Already there." Oliver said, pulling his computer off the floor where he'd pushed it off the sofa earlier.

"I'd brace myself if I were you." Bruce said, leaving Oliver confused. The man's email address came up as he sat waiting. He opened it and saw the attached files.

What came next made the bile in his stomach rise to his throat, as well as the sudden nonnegotiable urge to brutally murder the assholes behind this…

Speedy- _his_ Speedy- was being held down to the floor by a Joker in the first one. That alone pissed him off.

The next one showed the monster's tying him to a pole and ripping off his shirt. Now Oliver wanted to kill them in the most painful way possible. _NO ONE_ touched _his_ Speedy like that. NO ONE.

But the next photo made him want to vomit. Speedy was being stabbed with what appeared to be a syringe. Were the Jokers trying to make him sick? Were they trying out a new bioterrorism weapon? What if he was hurt? What if they were trying to make him overdose on something awful? He was a good kid! He didn't ask for anything like drugs or seek a fight when there wasn't one already started! What on Earth were they thinking?

But the next picture was the straw that broke the camel's back. Speedy was now shoved to the floor and held in place by his tied wrists as one of the Joker's goons whipped out his crowbar, holding it near his ward's head. The young boy he'd raised was completely vulnerable under this bastard. Thank heaven he was unconscious. Oliver was worried that he would actually remember this later on and take it out on himself.

He didn't even look at the other photos in the pile, choosing to close the email and get ready to go. Speedy needed him, and even if the kid was pissed about it, he didn't want to wait any longer. The longer he waited the longer he risked losing Speedy to those sadistic Jokers.

* * *

Speedy awoke on the floor; sore, tried, and cold with his hands tied behind his back. He could barely move his arms as he tried to turn himself over. He felt like he'd been kicked repeatedly, since his sides were burning and there were boot prints on his chest from what little he could see. He tried to cover his lower body as he observed his surroundings, the heroin barely managing to make it out of his system as he came to. He could still feel the effects of the drug, but it was nothing compared to the amount they had given him earlier. His skin felt cold and his mouth still felt dry, but at least the euphoric feeling was gone. It always hindered his abilities.

This was the last time he did this shit. No more after this. He couldn't let himself be hindered by a substance of all things. Not if he wanted to show Ollie that he could make it on his own. And no one would believe that a druggie was anything worthwhile if they couldn't even ditch a drug.

Speedy heard footsteps approaching and quickly shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep. His steeled his muscles and allowed himself to go completely motionless. It had to be one of the Joker's goons, they were too heavy to be anyone else in the warehouse. These guys were huge, brutes of men that could easily rival an ox in size comparison. It wasn't hard to tell when they were coming by the thundering steps that followed them.

"Wake up!" The man's greasy voice said as he gave Speedy a harsh kick to the side. Speedy immediately yelped in pain as his body slide a few feet. He curled into his core as best he could, trying to prevent any further injury at the hands of these crooks.

"Well well well… seems our little toy is awake." The Joker's voice rang through the warehouse. Speedy threw his body on its side and tried to look at the man. Smug as always, the Joker looked down at the other man with a hyena cackle. Speedy growled at him as well as he could, only to be met with a dry throat and a rough cough. The Joker let out an exaggerated laugh at the boy.

"Oh how cute! He thinks he can scare us with that wittle growl! Too bad Red." The Joker said as he picked up the younger man by his bindings. Speedy yelped again, his body begging for people to stop touching him. He did manage to notice, through the soreness and pain that seemed to come from the slightest touch, that it was only the lackey and the Joker this time. His goons and Harley must have been elsewhere. The Joker threw him on the table and grabbed his shoulders, throwing him down as hard as he could.

"I see this serum worked a little differently than expected…" The Joker said as he gently gripped the younger man's neck, pulling it hard enough to earn a yelp from him. Speedy could feel tears forming at his eyes, but refused to start begging the man to stop. Inside his mind he could hear himself scoffing at such weakness, but at the same time, he couldn't fight back well.

"Well now… what have we here?" The Joker said as he tossed the younger man across the room again.

"Aww, we grabbed the wrong serum. That was suppose to turn you into a mutated dog or something. Instead, now we get to have a little fun with you." The Joker said as he kicked the red head as hard as he could in the ribs. Roy forced back the yelp of pain that ran up him throat, only to have it show up as a strangled gasp.

"What's the matter little one? Scared now that your big green daddy isn't here?" The Joker taunted into the younger man's ear. He'd have to get himself out of this if he was going to escape at all.

The Joker adjusted himself as his other hand tied the ropes around Speedy's wrists tightly to a nearby pole, making sure to secure the bindings. His free hands now ventured down to the archer's foot, grabbing it roughly and pulling hard enough to string the kid out. The Joker started to kick Roy harder in the ribs, waiting to hear a crack or at least a plea from the young man.

"Too bad. I bet you would make a better dog than a bitch." The Joker said, making Speedy struggle even more. He knew what was coming. There was no denying it. The Joker, the craziest man in the world, was about to kill him. And judging by the camera in the goon's hand, they planned to make this a little voyeuristic. They must have planned this for a while. Speedy knew they wouldn't have tried this with Robin. Bats would have throttled them in a moment for even touching the boy. But Bats was a great mentor. Green Arrow wasn't Bats. Green Arrow seemed to ignore him. And when he did pay attention, it was only to a screw up.

Speedy felt the tip of a crowbar pressing itself at the back of his chest. He tried to scream but his voice was lost in his throat.

The mad man struck him once, the sound of bone resonating against metal. Speedy let out a pained scream as the red oxygenated fluid poured from one of the lacerations made by the crowbars' tip. The Joker just laughed, but his goon flinched at the sight. This was too much to bear, even for a hardened criminal.

The Joker didn't even give him second to adjust before pulling half a swing back and crashing down on the kid's chest again. Speedy cried out again, tears pouring out of his eyes as his unmasked face twisted into a tight, painful contortion. Oh he wished Oliver was here. He wished that he brought his real arrows with him and was shooting the man in the back right now.

But each pain filled thrust into the younger man's bleeding chest reassured him that he was completely alone. He wanted to go home, away from this mess, away from the drugs, away from the Joker, safe in Ollie's and Dinah's arms.

As soon as it had begun, he found a disgusting sense of warm relief spreading inside of him and heard a camera shutter click. He felt like vomiting through his dizziness. The sickening laughter of the Joker could be heard leaving as he was released. The floor was cold, but it helped his aching body relax.

Then there was the sound of boots.

He could barely hear anything through his fog of self defense, but he heard familiar boots. Was Bats here? Too slow to be the Flash. Not the Lanterns either, they flew. Too heavy to be a woman. Superman and John flew, so who could it-

No-

No no no, not like this. Please not him! Anyone but him! He couldn't be seen like this! He was a mess! Ollie couldn't see him-

"Roy!" The green clad man yelled. Roy felt his heart sink straight to the deepest circle of hell. He didn't… couldn't move. It hurt too much. He did feel the hands on his body, and tried to gain what little distance was dictated by his bound body. He could feel someone loosening the binds and picking him up in his arms while wrapping a cloth around him. Was it his coat?

Roy forced his eyes open to see the man of his envy standing right there, and his mouth was moving. Roy couldn't hear anything. Ollie looked worried. Was he- was he crying? He- tears? Who were they coming from? What?

Darkness claimed the young man's mind as his mentor tried to survey the area.

Ollie could only look at the needle that fell out of Roy's pocket when he picked up the jacket, and feel like it was all his fault that the kid went this far.

* * *

Yeah, I have no idea what I'm doing… ok yeah I do. Should i continue?


	2. Home Again

Me no own. Enjoy the hotness please.

No flamers please. Don't like? Don't read. Rated for some naughty language and previous chapter recollections.

* * *

Oliver gathered Speedy into his arms while wrapping the dust covered jacket around the boy.

And there was his conscious again, telling him the awful truth. Speedy was 16, and in Star City he was more than capable of taking care of himself. The younger man had gotten himself a job before moving out, continued with his home schooling, and managed to keep a relatively decent GPA of 3.1. Not bad for a kid out on his own. He had done something in 2 months that took Oliver 14 years to figure out before the death of his parents.

Yet, in this vulnerable moment, Oliver could see clear as day that Speedy was still just a boy at heart. He tried something that he was warned against and found it too be too dangerous to handle, leaving Oliver feeling like he'd pushed the kid too far out of the nest while trying to teach him how to fly.

Gathering the younger man into his arms and raising from the floor, Oliver took one look at the needle that fell from Speedy's pocket and smashed it with his foot. If Speedy made it through the next few trying days (or weeks for all Oliver knew) he'd have a talk with him about the drugs. Speedy was stronger than that! He kept Oliver in line when there was no one else to direct him! He managed to keep every shred of legal crud that came through the door in order while Oliver was partying it up with some vixen from the disco (and yeah, he still loved discos. Child of the 70's, man). If nothing else, Oliver would make sure he kicked the drugs. He still loved Speedy as a son.

As a son.

Hell, if he ever told the younger man of his affections for that red haired bundle of anger, he'd probably do it while drunk at least. Then Speedy would write it off as a drunken slur and ignore him. Hopefully it would save him the embarrassment of dealing with the fallout that was certain to come with the younger man's waves of angst. He might have matured greatly, but Speedy was still Speedy, and Ollie knew him better than he knew himself.

Speedy would never sleep the night before an exam of any sort, usually staying up and either studying for an academic trial or just playing video games for something related to the League. He always liked fruit, but didn't really like sweet things (excluding chocolates for some oddball reason. Not that Ollie would complain, he liked it when the cute kid ate some in front of him). He hated the idea of restrictions, even for something like speed laws; yet always found himself going to the extreme brink of the rules. Never actually breaking them. He looked good in a suit, even if he didn't want to admit it. And even after 8 years of denying anything cute, Ollie would slide open his door at night to find the kid fast asleep with the stuffed tiger he'd bought him on his first day of living with Ollie (Ollie's version of being generous was lavishing someone with cash goods). Where the hell the kid hid it was beyond him, it was practically the size of the boy today! Really hard to hide a 5 foot tiger teddy bear underneath one's bed…

Oliver loaded the younger man into his car (1) and buckled him in, cautious of the already forming bruises on the kids legs. He jumped into the other side and took off carefully, not wanting to make the injuries any worse. Left on first street, right on 5th, into the gutters, flip the switch, there's the secret door he'd installed in the back of one of the warehouses he'd bought some time ago (whatever happened to that business deal? He forgot) underground, drive left, right, right, left, right. And straight for 3 pipes. Past the coat on the last pipe and turn. He pulled into the garage and closed the door. No need for paparazzi making this night even worse than it already was.

Oliver was careful not to jostle the young man too much while getting him out of the car, but he was certain that the young man moaned when he tried to pick him up.

"Roy?" He asked, slightly afraid that the younger man might have woken up at the exactly wrong time. He waited for a few minutes… no response. Must have just been a reflex or something. The kid was always fast on his reflexes, so Oliver didn't rule them out.

Oliver placed all his strength into lifting his young ward to his chest, slightly pausing for a moment to savor the weight of the younger man in his arms. He'd missed being able to hold Roy like when he was little and seeking the same comfort as every kid his age when he had a nightmare. He'd grab his tiger, come running to Oliver's room (once even when Oliver had a female friend over, who didn't mind coddling the young child) and trying to stay in Oliver's bed all night. After the lady friends stopped for a while, Oliver wouldn't protest, he actually liked someone in his bed that didn't want to screw him or his money. It felt like, well, when he was a kid, and things were just simple. No back stabbing plots, waiting lines full of morons asking for investments, or imbeciles constantly barking at him to marry him (or the occasional one trying to steal his seed to claim they owned half his shit).

No… Roy was his light in the dark world.

Right until he turned 13 and chose to stop letting anyone touch him- male or females, foster father or possible girlfriend. It was like everyone else had the plague, and Roy just didn't want to be near them. Oliver started to give him his space, only to find that Roy just sealed himself up inside his mind, rarely telling Oliver what happened in his day to day life. Oliver was strangely hurt by this somehow, but couldn't tell Roy why, frankly because he didn't understand it himself. He shouldn't have been hurt by Roy wanting more space, it was normal, he'd seen it coming for years, but why was he so upset with the event? He'd tried to distract himself with women and drinks, sports cars and middle age remedies. All just seemed to push Roy farther from him.

Oliver closed the door quietly with his foot as he entered the house, trying his best not to wake the younger man. Thankfully he stayed unconscious. Oliver needed to get one of the doctors that owed the League something, and probably call Bruce with an update. He'd want to know what happened to Speedy, and he would probably want to pull the kids off the missions until the Jokers were caught. With good reason too, he didn't want anything like this to happen to the other sid- to the team. Not sidekicks. NOT sidekicks.

Partners.

Oliver got Roy settled in his long since darkened room, still favoring the calming blue paint that once served as his saving grace from hard missions. He placed the bo- young man on the bed and pulled the recently cleaned covers over his limp form. He removed the coat from Roy's shoulders and tossed it outside the room, intending to pick it up as he left to get a doc.

Oliver took a moment to admire how much Roy had grown. His hair was slightly longer than before, but it had only been a month, the redness was starting to appear more brown as it grew, not from color change, but from amount. His build was about the same, and his eyes looked tired. He must have been shooting up more than Oliver thought. One look at his arms showed that he had been injected with something in the last few hours, but three needle sites weren't much to go on, but that was still three too many for Oliver.

He forced himself to get up and look away from the younger man, acknowledging that he couldn't do anymore for Roy at the moment. He stepped lightly as he exited the room, gently closing the door behind him and leaving Roy in the dark of the room, buried in his four poster bed covers (Ollie never left the kid wanting more in cash valued objects. He insisted that Roy had stuff fit for a king when he first brought the kid here, and only backed off on the spending when it clearly made Roy uncomfortable), curtains drawn away from any light that would stray into the bedroom when the sun came up.

Oliver gathered the coat that was thrown out of the room and carefully made his way downstairs, not quite sure where the kid may have placed a damn needle. He tossed the coat on the dining room table and went to get a pair of gloves to protect him from whatever was on said needle if he found it. He started to go to work, gently working out the pockets without actually touching them. He didn't find another needle, but he did find Roy's wallet. He decided to take a look at it…. just to see how the kid was doing.

He saw a few pictures fall out of the fake leather (Roy hated real leather, thought it was nothing but wasteful expenditure of a creature's hide unless it was eaten first). They were of things at his job, shoddily taken, as if he hated being there to begin with. He didn't seem to care to line up anything on the photos, and most were just of his desk. The next few were of a few girls, some of which looked more than happy to see Roy, but Roy looked as bored and indifferent as ever. Oliver expected as much, even though the kid had gone out on his own, he was no happier than when he left. Oliver felt like he'd failed the kid in some respect. If he had played the proper parent role, Roy would be happily interacting with his fellow 16 year olds, partying occasionally, and getting a nice girlfriend. Not playing hero with him on late nights, or occasionally forging grades when assignments went wonky and they were stuck in some god forbidden area for days on end without contact with the real world. Not trying to get into the Justice League, not wasting his time being 'baby sat' by Red Tornado like the other kids. He'd be living a normal life.

Perhaps it would be better to ask John to erase the kids memories of the last 8 years, and give his account some money, then distance himself from the whole scenario.

It's for Roy's best interests.

After all, then he could go on living his life as a normal kid. Go to high school, make friends, forget the world that he was shoved into by Ollie.

"Now do you really think that would work?" The familiar voice of John said as Oliver stared at his hand. Oliver nearly had a heart attack as he turned to his friend, jumping slightly as he did so.

"John! You startled me!" Oliver said as he placed his hand on his chest and tried to calm his raging heart beat.

"You left the doors unlocked. I thought you were around, so I let myself in." John said kindly as a doctor well familiarized with the League waved to him behind the large Martian. Oliver waved back and showed her upstairs to begin the work, explaining briefly that it was done by Jokers.

"John, I have no idea what to think. " Oliver said as he sat down beside the man, trying to relax. John looked at the man kindly and smiled.

"He doesn't want to forget you anymore than you want to forget him. I know he acts out against you, but that is completely normal for younger beings from your planet. He's at the- I believe you call it 'temperamental phase' where nothing you say will be correct. That's normal for parents. Or parental figures." John explained, making Ollie sigh in relief. He really did love Roy, but he wanted what was best for him, and playing superhero wasn't safe anymore. Not when the Jokers were involved.

"Has Bats pulled the kids from any other missions?" Oliver asked. John frowned, knowing why Oliver had asked such a question and reading Bruce's mind before coming to see Green Arrow on his request. He mentioned their might be some memory rearrangement. And that Speedy was involved.

"Yes, and he already sent a message to each of their schools explaining that they came down with Meningitis and had to stay out for the treatment for a few days to a few weeks. The schools never argue against a issue like that. But they gladly sent a ton of work for the kids to do in the mean time. Knowing them they'll be done with it by midnight." John explained. Oliver nodded, noting that he would probably tell Roy's tutors that he came down with a bad case of the same thing and that they weren't needed for a few days. That would fly until he could get the boy to stay here without argument. And after this fiasco, he doubted Roy would really try to argue. At least he HOPED he wouldn't argue.

"Oliver, I can erase memories, but I highly advise that you talk to the boy first. He's just as upset about this as you, but I believe he will be more than happy to rid himself of this past nights events. Nothing more than that. He believes in you still, I can feel it even now. He is looking for something from you- and it's not a physical thing. It's something only someone who loves him can give him." John said, trying not to upset Ollie in any way shape or form. Oliver simply looked at the wiser man, trying to decipher what it could be while talking to John about what was happening with the League. It would be a while before the doctor was done.

* * *

Roy awoke hours later to a darkened room, warm and alone. He was bundled in his old blankets, just the way he'd left them. He took a slow look around the room, noting that the old fireplace that was in the corner of his room was lit and giving off slow warmth to the rest of the room. He'd forgotten the last time the fireplace had been lit. Even in the winter, Ollie and he usually convened in the downstairs den to play video games and curl under the blankets while watching their favorite movies. So there was no real need for a fire when you had someone else's body warmth.

Another long look around the room showed that everything he'd left behind was still exactly where he'd left it. Nothing had been moved, but it had clearly been cleaned… like someone was expecting him to come back. Roy knew that Ollie never asked his maids to clean if no one was going to be in the room for the next week. Was he waiting for someone?

No, no, don't be silly.

Ollie seemed to hate the idea of company these days, and having to put up with someone when they were bugging him on his days away from the 'office' (the man ran his corporate empire from his house via phone and internet, so when he actually graced the building was only the time he took away from his time with Roy -when the kid was taking the 2 hours a day to blaze his studies and complete all his work- to meet with customers he needed to impress. Other than that the man was a ghost) was just annoying at best.

Roy rolled over on his side, wrapping himself in his blankets more. He noticed that the top blanket was his old microfiber blue blanket. The same one he dragged with him the first night he went to sleep with Ollie when he had a nightmare. Ollie had a bad falling out with his most recent whor- lady friend- but was more than happy to welcome the kid into his bed for the night but Roy didn't want it to be that one damnable evening. He kept thinking of that night while he was alone in his new place, placating the feelings that had slowly developed overtime.

Puberty hit about four years later, and the dreams started. Those awful dreams of a man kissing him from behind each day when he came home, taking him into his arms and tumbling with him onto the sofa while showing him every meaning of passion known to mankind. And then the dreams of a man on top of him in hi- their bed, kissing and moaning like he did with the women. And yes, Roy was unfortunate (or fortunate depending on how you look at it) to peek through the cracked doors of Ollie's room when he had a lady friend stay for the evening. He knew how Ollie moaned when he was with the women. How he whispered strange words to them, which made them laugh and smile. How he would tell Roy to go to his room when they were around- given that he said it nicely, Roy still felt like he was being forced out of the man's life.

Then the hormones came full throttle. And he had vivid dreams of someone taking him roughly each night. They coddled him as they made love to his sweet ass. They held him and pressed tender kiss after tender kiss into his neck as they whispered sweet nothings to him in a deep, yet cheerful baritone. They told him how much he meant to the shadowed figure, how much they cared for him, how much they loved him.

Roy never really knew his biological parents. He was adopted by Ollie when he was 8, and spent his childhood with a kind man who taught him archery. All he knew of his past beyond that was that his parents were killed in a forest fire when he was 3 years old, according to his adoption file. After that, Roy only remembered Ollie. And with good reason, the man became the center of his life! His entire existence surrounded the bratty billionaire, and without him, the world got dull quickly. He always kept Roy entertained when he was younger by keeping cartoons on (not that Ollie minded, he always said that the news and every other program was the same old shit- murder, murder, cultural murder via horrible act of media exposure, someone got shot, someone got robbed, someone got saved- oh, and to top it all off- here's a cute puppy… yeah, cute puppy doesn't cheer you up after all that). Ollie always remembered when Roy had a bad dream or when he felt inadequate for something that happened on the mission, trying to cheer him up as best as possible.

Roy tried to get up, but was met with a numbness in his legs. What had happened to him?

Oh, right.

Jokers.

Ollie must have had enough compassion that he called a doctor for Roy. Roy felt like he was well into the man's debt, and such a kind act wasn't the first thing on his mind when he wound up getting fucked up by Batman's arch nemesis. But then again, he didn't think that Ollie would have brought him back here, or come to find him for that matter! So, what did this mean? Roy was really confused.

He tried to sit up, but felt something taped to his arm. He looked over and saw an IV hooked into his previously covered right arm as he tried to pry its unfeeling form from the covers. The IV bag was almost empty, only containing a few residual drops of the medicated fluids that must have been used for an examination (he knew someone with medical training must have done it, Oliver never took the time for such things. And when he did, he failed them miserably because he had no idea of bedside manner).

Roy carefully slid the needle out from his arm, trying not to twinge any nerves as he removed the sharp device. He swung his legs out from underneath the warm covers, shivering slightly as the cool air hit his heated flesh. He braced himself as he got up, swinging just slightly before falling back on the bed in a sitting position. Taking a deep breath, he heard footsteps approaching him. Voices soon followed, low and quiet.

"So he will be ok in a few days, but he needs his rest. I managed to get the injuries stitched up with some dissolvable stitches. They'll hold for a few days, just long enough for the serum I gave him to take effect and patch things up. I can't say much about his emotional state though… but John may want to erase the kid's memories if he asks him to. Needless to say, that amount of damage wasn't done with one misplaced bomb. And I know the line of work you guys are in, so whatever sicko went after him. Well, I hope you string him up by his balls." The female doctor said as they stopped just outside of his room. Roy could practically feel Oliver's energy sink at the news. He slid himself back onto the bed and tossed the blankets over his now shivering body. It wasn't that cold in the room, but the mere mention of the Jokers was enough to make Roy tremble and he hated the fact that it already had power over him. It wasn't supposed to, but it did. The idea of the Jokers coming back at any moment was enough to send chills down his spine and a jolt of fear straight to his heart. Roy wanted to disappear under the covers and not hear another word of the conversation.

The door opened to reveal the three people on the other side. Roy immediately shut his eyes and tried to act like he was asleep. He just didn't want to deal with the world today. Or anyone in it for that matter- be it doctor, the pope, or Ollie, Roy just wanted to make them shut up and leave him be. He tried not to move, hoping that they would just turn around and leave…

"Alright, that serum did a number on him. Given it was our experimental serum, literally discovered Monday when we stumbled across it during another synthesis experiment. We have no idea what it did before now, and we didn't have time to test it on the tissue cultures. But it seems that it has caused him to develop extreme addictive behavior." The doctor said as she quietly explained to Oliver. John had chosen to give them their space.

"So, can it be fixed?" Oliver asked carefully, concern laced his voice in the typical Ollie way- barely there, but still obnoxious. Roy could hear the concern, but was still thinking that the elder man was trying to avoid him. Not that Roy could blame him, Ollie had every right and reason to be mad at him. He'd embarrassed the other man in front of the League (not that he didn't deserve it. He had lied to the boy) but Roy wasn't sure that a man with Ollie's attention span was even able to remember what he'd had for breakfast, so perhaps he didn't remember the events of the July 4th.

"Eventually yes, but right now he needs to rest. Anything I give him to reverse the effects will just cause him more pain. We have to wait a few days." The doctor said. She reached over touched the IV, immediately noting that it was disconnected.

"Well, seems I should leave you two be. I believe you have something to say to him that need not fall on outsider ears." The doctor said as she excused herself from the room. Silence followed quickly as Oliver sat on the side of the bed.

"You can stop playing Roy." Oliver said as he ran the back of his fingers over the younger man's cheek, receiving the younger man's glaring eyes in return. Roy couldn't' help it, he was still hurt on many levels. He didn't know how else to react from the various injuries that littered his body and heart. The betrayal of Ollie getting a new apprentice, the loneliness of living by himself in the damnable ratty apartment, and the Joker.

Roy flipped over and pulled the covers over his head defensively, earning his ward a wise chuckle. Ollie pissed him off when he did that. It made Roy feel so small.

"Roy, it's ok. I- I know what happened. Bats told me everything." Oliver said as he placed his warm, heavy hand on the younger man's shoulder. Roy wanted to move away from the rather comforting hand, but found himself frozen in the covers. Part of him was fighting to punch Ollie in the face, but part of him was also trying to discourage himself from grabbing the man and crushing him with a hug while crying like his inner child. Roy had no idea what to act on, but the urge to vomit was up there on his list.

Ollie slid down on the bed beside his young ward. He kept his hand firm yet soft on the younger man's shoulder. Roy just listened to the man move around him, trying to act like a lump in the bed instead of the emotionally unraveled man that was attempting to become one with the covers.

"Roy, no one else is here. You can talk to me. I -I know why you were at the docks." Oliver said as he moved his hand gently up the kid's back. Roy felt his breath catch in his throat as he heard the words Ollie said. For once in the man's life he had actually spoken with some seriousness in his voice, and he didn't seem to be criticizing Roy yet.

"Roy, it's going to be ok. We'll get treatment for the drugs. Don't worry about it. Though I think you and I will eventually need to have a heart to heart." Ollie said as he slid his legs up on the bed, folding them across one another as he watched Roy curl up in the blankets even more. Ollie let his shoulders drop as he realized the kid was just scared. Despite what Roy thought, Ollie did notice the kid's mannerisms. He did notice that Roy tried to curl into himself when he was upset, even when he was sitting up. He saw how the muscles twitched when he was excited about something. Ollie could tell when Roy was about to do something stupid long before he even thinking about it. He knew the kid for eight years, and he wasn't a moron. He did see things that other people wouldn't notice unless they watch someone they adore.

"Ok." Came the small, exhausted voice from under the covers. Ollie couldn't help but smile as the brat slid the covers off his head. And, yup, there it was- ridiculously adorable kicked puppy look. The same one that made Ollie's resolve for any matter involving the kid crumble to a man who the media would eat alive if they got the chance. Those rabid dogs would gladly shred the man's reputation apart if he showed so much as a pinprick of emotion. They loved it when celebrities showed emotion, but this was not the case to jump on Ollie- not when the biggest part of his life was shutting out the world day by day and finally turned up, broken, beaten and drugged up by Jokers. He swore he'd show the Joker a thing or two about who you can mess with in this city. Roy was not up for grabs. He'd have to ask Bat's forgiveness for slowly torturing his arch nemesis to an elongated death, but this matter was completely Ollie's to deal with.

Roy just wanted to disappear under the sheets and go back to sleep just to get away from Ollie… the man was acting so damn perfect. So fucking perfect. Perfect attitude about the ordeal. Perfect attitude about what Roy had said before, and what he'd done after leaving Ollie.

Roy felt the hand move around his body, but could barely see what was going on as his eyelids caved from lack of energy. He felt the man's other hand smooth his ruffled hair and the weight of the man leave the bed.

He was certain Ollie had just left and in his medically drugged out state, if he wasn't' sure how un-Ollie it would have been, that someone kissed his forehead.

* * *

1- Ollie has an Arrow-mobile. Yeah, to those of us who barely follow the old comics (or like me just looked it up in Wikipedia :3 ) he's a rich, bratty billionaire who really abused Roy as his side kick. He would really talk down to him, to which Roy mostly blew him off with the typical little kid 'like I care, on with life' attitude. So in Young Justice, they've already gone outside the box by making Roy slightly older, and kinda emo in comparison. He's all serious and funky. I like him serious. Girls like serious dudes who ignore their entire existence.  
Ok- long. Friggin. Week.

Had to move hay bales around the yard, wrecked my ankle and hands doing so… and my back is KILLING ME! Beyond that, my brain resembles tarter sauce thanks to O chem. 2 wreaking it into the side of the synthesis mountains.  
So here's the update. Read, review, and thanks to my reviewers. Your comments made this all worthwhile so far. Will update ASAP, but I have 2 fanfics that need my attention as well.


	3. Shut up and Heal

Fixing the Bow  
Chapter 3  
I don't own this, and it is for entertainment purpose only. Don't like, don't read.

* * *

Roy couldn't remember much from last night, just that his head still hurt like hell and that it seemed a lot quieter in this room than his apartment, which was right outside the main traffic thoroughfare of the city. He was lucky if he could wake up to go see what accident had happened most mornings, but most of the time he tried to just shove the pillow down on his head even further.

He tried to roll over in the warm covers again, managing to find that he was still in his old room. So last night wasn't an estranged dream.

He let out a deep sigh as he released his normally tense muscles from their fight or flight position. He allowed his body to conform to the pillows that he had pulled around himself after Ollie had left him alone last night. He couldn't help but wonder where the older man was this fair, sunny morning.

Roy forced the vindictive voices in his head to take a back seat as he played through what he could have done to stop the Joker last night. Every plan seemed to die as he shoved his face harder into his pillow. To no surprise, Ollie must have been 'busy' again. Roy knew that the man wasn't that busy, but more or less was just trying to keep the kid out of his life. It wasn't like Roy cramped his overdone style, but more alone the lines of Ollie not wanting anyone to know that he had a kid. Apparently, his 'lady friends' didn't think having kids was cool. So for Ollie, the rich billionaire of Queen Industries, to have Roy tag along was putting a big damper on his love life.

Roy still remembered quiet well how Ollie saw them to his bedroom and then left them to see themselves out in the morning. And he would always- ALWAYS- leave Roy out on his own for the entire evening. Roy hated to be away from Ollie. Despite what his teenage hormones dictated, he really wanted to be near Ollie at all times. He couldn't believe that after all the pain he'd felt when Ollie rejected him, that his stupid conscious would make him stay here and actually accept that jerk's offering of a warm bed, and a safe house. After all, Roy was dumb enough on his own to get caught by Jokers, get drugged up, and have his ass handed to him on a silver platter by the Clown King of Gotham.

The door opened and Roy shut his eyes tightly, playing possum as he willed the person to leave him alone. Between the frustration and the sick feeling in his stomach, Roy wasn't willing to deal with a single, blasted person in the world.

*GRRRMMMBLLEEE*

Oh-dear- God.

Treacherous stomach! How dare you growl now!?

"Hehe. So you are awake?" The ever so wonderful voice of Ollie slid its way through the bedroom and nestled itself in the covers with Roy. Roy tried to hide under the blankets with a standard 'five more minutes' teenage morning grumble. Ollie chuckled deeply at the act, allowing nostalgia to escort him back to just a few months ago. He recalled Roy trying to avoid his lessons by playing the 'sick' card and staying in bed. And the sense of guilt at the recollection of the following few hours allowed Ollie to see that Roy was actually sick with various vomiting spells. Ollie slid down beside the younger man, who tried to cover his head even more but failed as the sheets got caught under the older man's weight. Ollie smiled to himself.

"I bet after last night you are hungry. Let's get you up and get ya' something that isn't delivered through a needle." Ollie said, trying to be as straight forward as possible with Roy, while still harboring the simple fact that the kid didn't take things well when he was upset. But that was nothing new.

"No…" Roy said in a subtle mumble. Ollie knew it was defensive, hell- everything Roy did these days was defensive. He was certain after a bit of research on the internet after Roy's big outburst at the Hall that it was nothing more than a forefront for his emotions. According to the site, kids his age tended to block out all the adults because they hated to allow anyone to see what they were thinking. Ollie could tell that the kid was lying, but didn't call him out on it. He wanted to earn Roy's trust back, which undoubtedly would take a few days at least. Ollie didn't mind giving up the time at his office (not that he spent any time there normally) to devote it to repairing his bond with his ward and best friend.

Ollie could have had a world full of devoted followers, clamoring women, and business deals out the wazoo; but he chose Roy over all of that. He chose Roy to be his heir practically the first week of him living with Ollie. Why? Roy didn't want his money. He didn't want his title. He didn't want a brat by him. He wasn't like those other people. He liked Ollie for- well, just being Ollie. No one had ever like Ollie for such an innocent reason before. In the world of celebrities and high ranking corporate dogs, it was common place to suddenly gain friends that would ride you for the money, and then jump off when the dollar signs disappeared. Ollie had learned to guard himself from the corporate vultures, but in turn, realized how lonely he'd become from a forced life of shielding the world out.

Roy never asked him to buy him frivolous things (though he would gladly give the kid an amusement park if he asked for it) or try to muscle his way into being his corporate successor (though he'd named him the successor quietly in his will a few years back). Roy didn't know about the things Ollie had intended to give him, and Ollie wanted it to stay that way. Roy deserved to be happy after all the hell he'd been through in his short life. If Ollie had his way, Roy would be comfortable with just being settled at home.

Yeah- home.

"Come on, up you get!" Ollie said as he slid down to Roy's covers and scooped him up in one fluid movement. Roy yelped in sudden clamor, feeling that his stomach had just dropped out of his gut.

"O-Ollie! What the hell?" Roy said, freeing his arms and wrapping them around Ollie's neck tightly. He hated being surprised like this.

"I'm not hearing a word against it, kid. You have been in bed since yesterday evening with IV's shoved into ya. You will get some kind of real food in you or I'll force it into you. Besides, it's your favorite." Ollie said roughly yet humorously. Roy could tell he meant well, but still felt like he didn't want to be in anyone's arms but it was Ollie. But, Ollie wasn't just anyone.

Ollie hauled the younger man out of the room and down the stairs, earning a shocked gasp from the maid who was cleaning outside of his room. Roy tried to hide his embarrassment of being carried like a brat while trying to get some grip around Ollie's neck.

"Ollie…" Roy grumbled, clearly upset about having to be held like this. Roy wasn't a child! He didn't need to be forced downstairs!

Roy lost himself in the musing of what Ollie and he needed to have in their lives, barely even noticing when they entered the living room.

OOMPH!

Roy's conscious was interrupted in its ramblings when Ollie dropped him on the sofa gently. Roy could hear Ollie laughing from behind the ruffled blankets that now adorned his head. Roy tried to fight his way out, only to be met with Ollie's arms around him while the laughing- that full hearted laughing- could be heard against his chest.

Roy let out a few more spurts of laughter before protesting gently that Ollie stop. He hated denying the man of his fun, because it actually denied Roy of his few precious moments where Ollie touching him wasn't a bad thing. And it was probably the only time that Roy was allowed to be touched by Ollie without it becoming some perverse issue of 'foster father on foster child' issue cropping up in his over reactive head.

Ollie managed to get up with a huge smile on his face, meeting Roy's current pout. He had to admit the younger man was cute like that. Like a puppy who had just been caught trashing the toilet paper roll. Such beautiful eyes- sharp and vividly colored by those blue rings. Ollie wanted those eyes to only look at him with that much emotion. And yes, he knew he was selfish, but he wanted those perfect ocean blue orbs to look at him with the ideals of trust once again.

Roy double checked his stomach as his former mentor excused himself from the room to check on lunch (fuck, he'd actually slept in until 11 am? His boss was bound to be mad at him. Probably even more now that it looked like he wasn't going to come in on a day they needed him to wow some customers from another company). His arms still looked speckled around the elbows, and all Roy could do was to cover them quickly and pray Ollie didn't ask any questions. He really didn't need the third degree from Ollie, and the man was usually too nosy about things that didn't involve him. No doubt the man would try to do something to make this situation worse than it already was, even if he was trying to be nice.

Roy hated being in the man's debt. He felt like he owed Ollie so much. The man practically raised him until he was 16 and got out for more freedom.

In reality, getting out just lead him to more restraints.

He didn't realize that Ollie was his ticket to every door in his world. Ollie's influence could get in an entire day in an amusement park by themselves. He managed to prove this by renting out each one of the Disney World parks just for them for a week. Ollie also got them a hotel room at the Swan and Dolphin- top floor Presidential suite. And why did Ollie do this?

Because of a falling out with Roy's first girlfriend.

All that, just for one falling out- to make Roy feel better. Ollie never asked for anything in return. Though a few hugs and admissions of thanks weren't withheld from an absolutely ecstatic Roy. Roy missed those days. Those halcyon days where he could wake up when he wanted to each morning, not having to force himself out of bed each morning at seven am to try to get to work.

* * *

Bats was ticked. Green Arrow hadn't called him back yet and he was getting annoyed. The doctor they'd sent over from the corporation had called him back with the records, and it showed nothing that Bruce wanted to see. He felt sorry for Roy, but he wanted to know how Roy was doing. Bruce never wanted anything to happen to any of the kids, that's why he kept them at the 'babysitter' level before throwing them into the real deal. This was exactly what he was afraid of. If the villains knew that the kids were on their own, they would have a massive red target on their backs by the end of the day. And because of it, they would probably be captured, tortured, and possibly killed.

Bruce never wanted Roy to go off on his own, but he couldn't stop the boy either. Despite what the brat wanted to think, Roy wasn't ready to go out on his own. He was still the same as the other kids, and now he was paying for the League's screw up. The damage alone was enough to make Bruce cringe. Roy used to be such a loyal partner. Well, the doctor claimed that the injuries were bad, but not a death sentence in all fairness. Now, Bruce understood that the Joker was easily the most insane person he'd ever had the displeasure of interacting with.

The screech of the phone snapped Bruce from his thoughts. He stabbed the offending button and announced himself.

"Bruce, it's Ollie." The ragged voice demanded. Bruce jumped at the man's voice, sitting up and locking the doors via the button on his desk.

"So, how's the kid doing?" Bruce asked, the tiny sting of fear gripping his chest for answer that was sure to come. He braced himself against the mental blow that was sure to wreak his subconscious.

"He's ok." Ollie said gently, his voice faltering with uncertainty. He didn't want to piss off Bats enough to blocking the kids from ever stepping foot on the battlefield again, but at the same time, he was unsure if this was a good idea to keep the kids around at all. One of their enemies had gotten too smart. They had targeted the easy kill. They had cornered Roy when he was alone, and drugged him to make him even more vulnerable. And Bruce blamed himself, since he was the one to send the kids out on these damnable missions. The guilt on his shoulders was enough to crush an elephant.

"Ok, or just reclusive?" Bruce's voice came as an icy assault to Ollie. He could feel the shiver overtaking his spine as he grip on the phone loosened.

"He's reclusive- but I managed to get a laugh out of him earlier. So, I'd say things are better than expected given the current situation." Ollie replied with well trained calmness lacing his voice. Bruce could feel the unwelcomed tension in Ollie's normally cheerful chortle. It was weird hearing him talk so seriously while attempting a sturdy emotional front. Each word was calculated and strained to business perfection, right at home in the corporate grind. It sounded so awkward, as if Ollie had never actually spoken to anyone like this before. Then again, he was like Bruce in some respects. A billionaire who had been raised with money, who everyone had practically treated like a Prince since the day he was born, and was never out of the loop or out of control in any situation. So when he couldn't prevent Roy from getting captured, it really sent him for a spin. He hated not being in control, and it forced him to explore another aspect of the typical human life that he had not been required to understand until it slapped him in the face.

"I see. Has he spoken to you yet or is he staying in his room?" Bruce ventured. He hated to have to probe for this many answers, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice. Ollie wasn't likely to reveal information unless Bruce picked at him.

"He was a bit stubborn about getting up, but I dragged him out of his room to get some real food into him. Had the maids change out the sheets while I was handling him…" Ollie said cautiously. Bruce shook his head with a good hearted smile. At least the kid was awake this early into the game.

"Alright, time for the nitty gritty. How bad is the damage?" Bruce jabbed, needing Ollie to believe that he hadn't seen the report. He could practically hear Ollie sigh on the other side, but at least he

"He's got the obvious damage-a concussion, a sprained wrist, and a few scratches. The doc says he'll be ok once everything has been given a fair amount of time to heal." Ollie said as he tried to weigh his answers more carefully. Bruce breathed a deep sigh of relief. At least the kid wasn't holding up in his own mind like he'd expected. That would make finding the Joker and his goons all the much harder.

"We have a lead on The Joker's whereabouts. And the kids are getting vocal about being cooped up. Robin particularly. Do you want me to keep you informed on anything else that happens?" Bruce asked kindly, knowing that Ollie was probably going to kill the Joker on the next round. Bruce wouldn't even say a word until the asshole was unconscious.

"Yeah…" Ollie growled, his voice mimicking a large dog about to bite the brat that teased him. He really wanted to kill the Joker, but he knew what time and honor had taught him. While he desired revenge, it was not his place to kill. Only to serve justice, and the ultimate fate of the Joker on this round would go to Roy.


	4. Chapter 4

WINNERS!: hopeless1665, NakedKing, Flower-Child14, Talithi, i heart merlin, Pocky of NyaNyaLand, Guardian of the Phoenix, , geshagurl, Little Karma, and oppositeproduct!  
Read and review! (Especially you DA people! XDDDD)  
Taking suggestions for… anything in the story!

When Roy awoke, the sky was clouded over and he was pretty sure he could hear thunder in the distance. He turned over in his blankets, trying to figure out what had happened. The weight of an arm on his stomach made him look down to see Ollie's hand draped over him. He looked above him to see that Ollie had fallen asleep while holding him like a teddy bear. Roy carefully pulled himself from the warm embrace in an attempt to sit up. His back was sore and his head was hurting. He didn't want to get up quiet yet… Ollie made one hell of a comfy pillow. And his scent was intoxicating… so subtly relaxing… so warm… kinda smelled like nutmeg. Maybe some cinnamon in there?

Roy managed to readjust himself in the older man's arms, deeply breathing in his aura. Everything about Ollie was so… cool… so comforting…. Roy never wanted to leave this moment. Just them, no one else around, no one looking or judging…

Though… if anyone they knew ever saw them together, they would have every right to judge. Ollie took him in as a kid, and the man was practically his father (though you wouldn't expect it if you ever saw how they acted toward each other). So what media jackass wouldn't want to shred them on the front cover of the Star Daily?

Roy managed to untangle himself from Ollie, trying his best not to wake the man, but failing as the man's eyes opened. A large yawn and a curt greeting showed how alert Ollie was as he stretched his back muscles.

"Oh hey… how are you feeling?" Ollie asked as he gently ran a large hand through the younger man's hair. Roy, while the darker portion of his mind was telling him it was a ruse, found comfort in both the lighter part of his mind and felt his heart ease up from the tense state it was in. He missed this feeling. He remembered it from long ago when he'd allowed the world to fool him, and when it seemed like Ollie was always lying to him. Now he didn't know what to think, but he knew that he wanted to be here. Even if Ollie was tricking him on some level, here was still better than scrounging a earning in the city, sitting in his small, rickety apartment on the main drag that seemed like the world was coming to an end. Here, it was beautiful. The yard was huge, 12 acres of lawn plus the forest within the walls of the property (to which Roy couldn't remember exactly how much space there was, but Ollie liked to keep some creatures around just to keep the place fun, even though the man didn't really hunt because he liked the deer). The house was huge and quiet, which Roy probably would have murdered his porn star neighbors for by this point, and he had his own room that was the size of a friggin' dance hall. Not that tiny little cramped quarter of his pitiful apartment. And the mattress in his place was creaky and the springs hit his spine like cactus barbs. Here, he had his own plush, futon style bed that he could roll on his back and throw his arms out to the sides and still not touch the edges of the bed. And when he wanted to sleep in (because Ollie always let the kid have exactly what he wanted, even when he didn't ask), he could just pull the curtains on the four poster bed, showing the staff he didn't want to be bothered. Life here was just perfect. And Roy never took it for granted, but he still had attempted to try to make it on his own. True, Ollie had spoiled the kid without him knowing it, but Roy deserved to be spoiled in Ollie's eyes. Roy was a good kid. Even Roy knew he was a good kid, given a little argumentative, but if you talked to Ollie for more than a minute you could see why.

"I'm ok…" Roy said as he retreated again under the covers. These blankets felt so damn good, and maybe it was the drugs, but they felt like silk against his skin. Ollie was moving towards him again.

"Let's get you reasonably dressed and we can try to get some kind of food in you." Ollie said as he picked up the younger man to head back towards the kid's bedroom. Ollie was happy to have Roy back in the house. Even with him drugged up, he was still more fun to interact with than the stock brokers and investment morons that clogged up the rest of his life. Ollie had actually forced himself to have lunch with a harpy of an investment client, who's voice alone could have chopped the ears right off his head. And she was trying to be a Cali-girl. Pink shoes, pink fuzzy coat, and pink dress with a pink purse and a tiny dog that tried to bite him when he greeted her- the girl was a whore of a woman as well. She was there 'representing' her father's investment, and frankly embarrassing him at every moment. She refused to eat normal food, and insisted that everything be 'dolphin-safe' (even the potato salad…), and on top of that, when he came to talking about business, she got confused between a confidence deal and the cheery tomatoes on her salad. What. A. Moron. Now, if Roy was there, he could have texted him back and forth about how stupid she was, and at least make the deal fun. But nope- this time Ollie had to hold the comments in the entire time and try not to say something wrong that would send the deal tanking. It was like holding your bladder for 2 hours when you had to go NOW.

"M'ok." Roy said as he wrapped his tired arms around the other man's neck, allowing Ollie to pick him up. He felt safe here, and perhaps the way he rested against Ollie for his nap made all the difference. His mind felt well rested while his body was a bit sore. And he woke up in Ollie's arms, with the dumbass holding him. And yes, Ollie was occasionally a complete and utter dumbass. He confused his clients on business deals, got drunk at the worst of times, and told the most embarrassing stories about the office. Roy was at his wits end of that behavior when he first took over the 'personal relations' portion of the company, but now found himself missing the days when all he had to do was smile and welcome some business guy to the office when they needed to impress them.

"Now, let's get you some clean clothes." Ollie said as he motioned for a butler to help him. Roy was a big kid, so it took two sets of hands to get him away from the denim blanket and into fresh clothes. And despite what the kid probably thought, Ollie did care for the brat. He couldn't stop worrying that Roy wasn't getting the stuff he needed on a daily basis. He really thought of having a private investigator follow the kid around to make sure he was going to get real food and wearing decent clothing. Not just eating fast food and wearing the same stuff that he picked off the floor each day. And yes, Ollie even knew he could be scatterbrained when he wanted to, but that didn't mean he didn't care for Roy's feelings on the whole ordeal. And from time to time he'd just tease the living daylights out of the kid for the hell of it, but he never intended to lie to Roy about the League. And he still felt awful after Roy finally turned up at the docks warehouse, beaten up and cute ass thoroughly handed to him. Ollie was still waiting for Bats to tell him where the fuck the asshole was so Ollie could shove a blasting arrow straight up his-  
"Ollie?" The now dressed Roy said as he pulled on his socks. Ollie must have been lost in La-La-Land as Roy was being dressed. The kid was always good about taking over things when he could, so even when he was getting dressed on his own, he managed to get into a loose, red sweatshirt and baggy blue sleep pants with white socks. Ollie had to admit, the red sweatshirt on his looked too big, but at the same time, Ollie found himself wanting to tackle the boy back into the overly large bed and ravish him with cuddles. And the way Roy looked at him with that half asleep look, shit he was gorgeous. He wanted the kid so badly, and in the back of his mind he knew he shouldn't be lusting after Roy, but he was. And he wanted him so badly just to smile at him like when he was younger and happier- just once more. Ollie really missed those days when Roy would run up to him when he came home from the office and hugged him with a huge smile plastering his face.

"Oh umm… let's get you food!" Ollie blurted out as Roy grasped his hand. Roy only took the hand because it looked like Ollie was staring at him like he'd made a horrible mistake by bringing Roy back. Ollie leaned down and grabbed the brat in his arms again, well aware that the kid shouldn't be walking and creating more damage to the afflicted areas if he could avoid it. Not to mention, Ollie liked hugging Roy. He really liked hugging Roy.

Like his own personal teddy bear that could kick his butt in Mortal Kombat any day of the week.

"Ollie…" Roy moaned as his eyes started to give out from the drugs. Roy was really susceptible to drugs, and while he'd gained a tolerance to heroin, he couldn't really take anything new. Not that he even wanted to go back to his former crutch again…not after that happened.

"Come on Roy, it's chicken pot pie. And the doc said you need to rest." Ollie said as he brought the kid to his chest like a child. Roy always felt like the little kid when Ollie started to talk like that. Normally, he'd raise hell for the blonde jackass just for talking to him like that, but not this time. This time, he just wanted to be the teddy bear. He wanted to fall back to the wonderful dreaming wonderland where the world made sense, and Ollie as his knight in shining armor. And the knight wouldn't save the princess, he'd fight side by side with the Prince because there weren't any princesses here. They would just keep fighting the dragons and defeating the bad guys until the king finally passed, and Ollie took the throne with Roy as his partner.

"Roy… Roy… wake up Roy." Ollie's voice came through his hazy fog of a mind as perfectly as a siren's song. Roy just wanted to hear the man's voice continue to talk to him like that. Just saying his name, fast, slow, dulled, passionate, full of love or annoyed- as long as Ollie was saying –Roy's- name.

"I'm here…" Roy mumbled as he nuzzled the elder's neck, taking in the scent with copious breathes. Ollie, while noticing, chalked it up to his own imagination and the drugs. Roy seemed to be enjoying his smell a little too much…

"Ok, let's get something real into you. We have all your favorites." Ollie said as he nestled Roy back into the sofa and curled up beside him, holding the cute brat in place. Roy, trying to curl into Ollie's lap, grabbed the bowl offered to him by the nursemaid and began to eat. Ollie, resting a heavy hand at the kid's stomach, and pulled the drugged out kid into his lap even further. Roy stopped eating for a moment and Ollie saw his shoulders heighten in fear. And Ollie knew fear when he saw it. Roy, while normally aggressive, didn't raise his shoulders to look larger by instinct except when he was scared. And Ollie thought he knew why…

Removing his hand from the kid's waist, Ollie rested his body against the back of the sofa as he relaxed. Roy soon followed suit as he wrapped himself back up in a blanket cocoon (stealing the blanket from the back of the sofa) and tried to lean against Ollie's leg. Ollie, trying to be supportive, leaned up and pulled the kid between his legs while his arms went around his body. Roy was trying to get used to the way Ollie held him… hell, Ollie used to hold him like this all the time. Even without the cocoon of blankets- so Roy should have felt better about staying in the man's arms… but he didn't. He was trying to keep those thoughts of the Joker and his crew holding him down and forcing him to…

"It's ok Roy…" Ollie said as he ran a hand up and down Roy's spine. Roy's shoulders relaxed at the older man's voice, and the nursemaid came into the room with a glass of water and two pills. She forced the pills into Roy's hand as started talking really fast in her northern European accent. He couldn't tell what she was saying as he swallowed the pills.

Roy felt his head entering the familiar hazy state. He hated this state… it made him feel so weak. So vulnerable… so easy to target…

But a hand came around him. And those hands pulled the young man into a warm lap. And they pulled the covers around his body while his head was spinning like a top. He could have sworn he heard words being said in a light, loving baritone… and that muffled sound of the voice trying to comfort him while those hands worked their magic on his body, easing every little cramped muscle and tense tendon into sublime submission.

Ollie watched as the kid drifted back into sleep. He could feel Roy's muscles relaxing as he rested his hands on the kid's smaller frame. After all this time, Roy still felt as small in his arms as he did on the first day they had met. Ollie remembered when he told the adoption agency that he wanted a kid that was familiar with archery. They thought he was crazy, but introduced him to Roy. At the time, the kid barely spoke, but when one looked at his records, you would understand why. Ollie made sure that Roy didn't go through anymore emotional pain. He refused to allow anyone who was risky into the kid's life, and when something bad did happen, he used it as an excuse to take Roy to Disney World or Six Flags. And Roy never complained, in fact, he seemed happier to just be with Ollie…

Ollie changed the channel on the television just to get something new. Cartoons were always a safe bet, and thanks to Hasbro's new network, there was always something worth watching on.

The news bored him to death, and the media coverage of celebrities tended to remind him of why he didn't hang out with them more.

Things seemed to be going back to where they were supposed to be… now he just had to wait until the meds wore off to find out how much damage was really done.

Woot! Chapter 4 down! Please review! You've made it this far! Why wouldn't you?


	5. Move in with me?

WINNERS! nequam-tenshi, MariaTroy, Aisho Ren, hopeless1665, Flower-Child14, and Fallenarchangel! 1000 cybercookies each thanks for reviewing!

I own nothing in relation to DC comics or Green Arrow's stuff. Oh how I wish I did…  
Long story short: My lappy broke and took all my work with it. So after retyping this on my parent's back up computer… *shame* I finally got it posted. Please enjoy, and review! These mean so much to me… and this week's going to be rough. Finals for summer physics and all… *cries*

READ AND REVIEW

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Roy slept fitfully for the next few nights. Ollie couldn't ignore the fact that the kid was having nightmares nearly every night. After the first night, Roy had been covering it up to save face on the reputation he had been building since he went solo. The young man had sworn himself against the League's help for the time being, and while he would go back to the Team when he actually needed help, Ollie got the feeling that the strained silence between them was only going to get bigger the longer he waited. Given, the past few days had forced the green clad man to rethink his former protégé's words when they departed at the Team's welcome event. After that, Ollie was really hurt by Roy's words when Bats introduced Artemis to the group. After all, Ollie never intended to replace Roy at all. And Roy was smart (well… most of the time), so Ollie never expected that the young man would go against him as much as he did. And after the Rhealsia event, Ollie was about to kill the kid when he'd heard that Roy nearly got himself killed by Sportsmaster…and that there was a supposition that Artemis was the mole on the team…which would have proved Roy right while Ollie and Bats would have looked like fools.  
But, time passes… and Ollie had a chance to make things right. He couldn't waste it while the kid was here. He had nearly wasted yesterday while trying to figure out his words, but now he had them coagulated into a decent apology/plead for Roy to come back. As he made his way towards the room the kid was in, he could have sworn he heard Roy talking. It sounded like he was talking to someone…

"Well… I don't know about him… I think he would still be mad if he found out…" Roy's voice came from inside the room. Ollie pressed his ear to the door a listened intently. Who the hell would Roy be calling at this hour of the morning? It was only 10 am, and Oliver had called Roy's work to tell them he was in an accident.

"No… I think he'd be pissed if I told him about us… but… no… no, I don't think he'd do anything… after all, he didn't do anything with the League, why would he jump back in now?" Roy continued. Ollie kept trying to hear a voice, anything that would tell him who the kid was talking to.

"Well… I can't… no, there's work and I need to finish up my… well… maybe… I don't know… I kinda wanted a few days here to see how things are without me…oh, ok… yeah… see you later… you too…" Roy hung up the phone and Ollie took a moment to relax his muscles and straighten his shirt. No need to look like a slob when talking to the kid.

"Hey kid!" Ollie said as he entered the room, finding Roy dressed and ready to leave. Roy looked at the man with a confused smile and grabbed his quiver of arrows, standing up to leave.

"Hey… Ollie…" Roy said as he stood up. The kid was doing much better today than he had been, and was apparently preparing to leave.

"Where are you going?" Ollie said, his heart dropping at the sight. Roy smirked at the older man and placed a hand on his shoulder as he was headed out the door.

"I'm gonna get out of your hair… you've put up with me for long enough… sorry to inconvenience you." Roy said as he started to leave. Ollie grabbed his wrist and spoke.

"Wait… Roy… I… I need to tell you something…" Ollie said, causing the kid to stop in his tracks and turn around slowly. Ollie took a deep breath and spoke.

"I…want… to apologize for what happened at the League…" Ollie began, causing Roy to stop all logical thought for the moment and just hang in the instant.

"And… I want you to know… I didn't want to replace you, but I needed help… and you were going out on your own…so… Artemis isn't your replacement… not to me… I swear…" Ollie said as he looked the kid straight in the eye, noting that the kid hadn't moved since he started to speak.

"You mean a lot to me Roy. I don't… can't lose you. You are the only person in my life that I care about right now…" Ollie said as he released the kid's wrist and waited for a response. To his shock, Roy smiled at him and allowed his defenses to fall, shown by his shoulders relaxing at Ollie's little speech.

"Ollie… I… don't know what to say…" Roy said as he stared at the man, his eyes becoming brighter and his smile returning as the tension that was held between them evaporated into thin air.

"I didn't mean to lie to you that day… but that doesn't change anything…I want you to be happy Roy… but I missed you every day. You… you mean everything to me… please Roy…stay here…" Ollie said as he tried to reason with the young man. Roy smiled wholeheartedly at the elder man, taking his hand in Roy's and holding the fingertips just slightly.

"Ollie… I missed you too… but I need to get going… can I stop by later to talk about it more with you? I need to get back to my place and sort some things out…" Roy said shyly, which Ollie knew was his way of saying 'yes I forgive you, but I'm kinda busy'. Ollie smiled at the kid and gave him a hug, firmly returned by the younger man. Ollie watched the kid almost make it to the door when he turned and smiled, leaving Ollie alone with the maids again.

* * *

Roy calmly strolled into his apartment after nearly a week of being gone. His body was sore and he hated to be away from his real home, but that's why he was here to begin with…

He needed to branch out…

He needed to grow….

He… 'had' to be away… away from… Ollie…

Not that he really wanted to, but he was 16. He didn't need a nursemaid anymore… and… Ollie… didn't want him around… right?

…Oh who was he kidding? He could pack up all his stuff and be out of this ratty little apartment in less than an hour if he tried. He could be back home in less than two hours with a drive if he really wanted to…

"You look composed, dear Roy…" A suave voice came from behind him. Roy dropped his things to the chair beside him, once again surprised it didn't collapse from the weight of the things as it's wobbly legs and weakened frame strained under the pressure. Roy quickly grabbed his mask from his bag out of typical reflexes, only to find a larger hand on his, stopping the disguise from blocking the view. Roy felt his body turned around and pressed against the table when a heavy pair of lips came into contact with his. Roy's eyes had slid shut at some point, either from exhaustion or the usual daydreaming he did with his current master teasing him. He felt his body pressed backwards and falling slowly onto the table while the shabby chairs were pushed out of the way to accommodate his guest's endeavors. Roy knew his throat was moaning… but it didn't moan for the man attending him.

"So… where were you exactly for the last few days?" The man asked. Fuck he had the voice of an angle commanding him to strip just by speaking.

"Was… off seeing someone…" Roy said as the man's hands slid under his tightly fitting shirt.

"Who?" The man inquired as the red fabric came off, revealing some tightly tied bandages and a thoroughly bruised chest. The man raised an eyebrow as Roy looked away.

"I… got caught by Jokers…and… GA came to get me…" Roy admitted through heated pants of rapidly firing breathe. He wasn't ashamed of it. Hell, half the League had bets on how long it would take them to get back together, and while it took longer than expected, one wouldn't be surprised when it was Ollie that came to save his Roy. A rough kiss from the man silenced Roy again. Roy could sense something was wrong, but didn't call the man out on it. Perhaps just a rough day, and some needy time with the lover he had so recently found. The summit had been good to both men in the end. Roy had his first real alcoholic drink (where the drinking age was 15) courtesy of the man that stood above him, kissing his neck at this very moment.

"Did they hurt you, my sweet archer?" The man asked as his hands started to massage the younger man's stomach. Roy felt himself getting a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"…nothing that won't heal…" Roy said shyly, his subconscious trying to cover up the unwanted emotions that were rising again. He didn't need the emotional aspect of the recent week weighing in on him while he was trying to regain control of his life.

"Really?..." The man said as he started to descend on the younger man's lower regions. Roy knew he was panting, but didn't stop himself. If he couldn't have him, then he'd settle for the next closest thing…

"Don't…" Roy heard himself say. He wasn't sure about where he really wanted this to go now… but he did know that his body wanted something like this. Something… something to this degree… something that felt like this… physical contact perhaps? Or… no… it couldn't be something like that…

"Why not?" The man asked as he descended lower, allowing his fingertips to stimulate the younger man's body in every place available. Roy's legs tensed as the man slithered around his pants, tempting every nerve available to the well trained hands.

"I…" Roy couldn't manage another word as the man started to unbuckle his pants. Roy knew not to argue, but he didn't even bother with his boxers today. Why bother with something that will be removed so shortly?

"Roy. What did Arrow do to you?" The man asked, stopping as he sensed something amiss. Roy felt a sudden urge to slap the man rise from the back of his mind. Where it came from, Roy had no idea… or… better yet, why did the bastard ask about Ollie when the Jokers were the ones to ruin him? And why didn't he ask more into what happened behind the Jokers attack?

"Green Arrow didn't do anything to me. He saved me from the Jokers… even after…" Roy trailed off as the man's attentive lips started to busy themselves with the small patch of red hair they had uncovered while pulling the younger man's pants down. Roy cried out as the man's nose joined in the fun, nudging the fluffy red patch gently as the lips kept going. Roy grabbed onto the business suit that kept the older man's wonderfully built body in perfect form. Roy felt the man smirk into his crotch, encouraging the younger man to cry out more as he started to use his tongue to lick up the younger man's shaft. The pants were suddenly thrown off the younger man as the older man pulled his lithe body flush against his clothed front. Roy gasped as he felt the older man unbuckle his belt and pull out his large manhood. Roy shut his eyes and started to daydream as the older man's hands started to probe the younger man's rear. Roy was used to this. The elder wouldn't penetrate him, but he would use him as a rubbing tool while making sure the younger man was ready. The elder would gladly take the red head if he asked, but Roy never asked. He never said any coherent words in their few meetings since the summit. He would moan, groan, and cry out in passionate galore, but he would never say a name that the elder could hear. He would, however, cry such words into the pillow… and they never sounded like the elder's name.

"Even after?..." The elder asked, finally pulled from his endeavors to attend to the mental state of the young lover.

"…the Joker raped me…" Roy's catatonic eyes wouldn't lie, he was in a world of pain. Not physically, but the emotional torment that was hidden behind those blue eyes. Fighting to keep his emotions down, he tried to let Lex do what Lex always did. This was his lover after all. He was consenting on this round.

"…he will suffer for that…" The elder man said as he went back to attending to his lover's tense body. Roy yelped as the man's hands went between his cheeks, just exploring as they usually did…

…until the elder man's motions stopped dead in their tracks.

There was something there that wasn't there before.

The elder man grabbed Roy's legs roughly and kneeled down to see what he thought he felt. And surely enough, despite Roy's hands trying to block the elder man from seeing, he found the sensitive spot on his young consort. When he released the younger man's legs, Roy curled back into himself as a defense mechanism. He couldn't believe that he'd let his defenses down like that. Even if it was coming from someone he trusted.

"So… did Green Arrow do this to you?" The prestigious man asked as he waved his hand at the pose Roy was currently wrapped in. Roy shot a passive glare at him.

"No… the Jokers shot me up with some stolen shit from some lab… their doc came by while I was with GA…" Roy admitted as he turned to his side in an attempt to get up, shivering a little when his bare backside came into contact with the fresh air. The elder man took this opportunity to lean in and embrace the younger man in a hug, kissing the top of his head as he did so.

"Move in with me." The elder ordered, sending Roy into shock as he stared into the blank wall behind the suited man.

"What?" Roy barked, hushing his voice as the commanding demand of the elder male threw him a curve ball.

"Move in with me…" The elder repeated slowly, thinking that the younger man didn't hear.

"I… I don't… I don't think I can do that…" The red head said as he tried to escape the embrace. In the back of his mind, he knew that he shouldn't be avoiding human contact as much as he wanted to, but this wasn't the man he wanted to have contact at the moment.

"Yes, you can. The League's files show me as nothing more than a humble business man, sitting on top of a company, with too much work to do anything against the League. They wouldn't mind you moving in with me… would they?" The elder man asked, assuming an oddly calm tone. Roy, still analyzing the possibilities (and the subtle fact that he'd rather move back to his real home, now that he and Ollie were on good terms again) just stared at the man like he'd grown a second head.

"I'm sure they would look for it as a reason to keep me out…"Roy said condescendingly. He hated being placed in any situation where the blame could be placed on him.

"I… no. We've only been seeing each other for a few weeks. This is all too fast…" Roy said as he felt the man's hands on his back, pulling him into a hug. Roy felt safer in the larger man's embrace than he did with the world around him. He felt insecure right now… he just wanted all the feelings, good and bad, to become lost in a hazy day.

"Roy… I can make your world better if you allow me too… but it's a lot harder when you are away from me… Please, just give me a few weeks to prove it to you…" The elder man said as he pressed butterfly kisses along the younger man's neck. Roy moaned against the elder man's warm flesh, feeling the comfort that his rippling muscles lulled Roy into a peace that he'd only known when Ollie was around.

"I… ok… but they can't know." Roy said as he was pressed backwards into the table, bringing kiss after kiss cascading around his collar, courtesy of the elder man. The man had talent in places that few men could expect to… but Roy wasn't arguing.

"That's my Roy…" The elder man said as he pulled the younger man's shirt completely off to start kissing his way back up to the younger man's cheek. Roy moaned into the motions, unable to stop the man from tempting every nerve.

"I…uh…" Roy felt the man pressed his hands around Roy's stiffening shaft, making him tenderer by the moment.

"With my chauffer's help… we can be out of here in less than two hours…" The elder man offered. Roy nodded his head slowly as he came in the elder man's hands, his mind spinning around the older man's voice. Nothing else seemed to matter.

"Ok…" Roy said as he was lifted from the table and into the man's arms.

He didn't remember what happened afterwards, but he awoke in his lover's car while the few things he owned were pushed into the seat beside him in the limo.

"Just rest Roy… we will be home in a few minutes." The older man said as he rested his hand against the boy's back, gently rubbing the muscular form as Roy lay in the seat beside him. Roy smiled back at him and pressed his weary hand against the man's leg.

"Ok…Lex"

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Whew… long week… longer one ahead… Had this in my head since Friday when I saw 'Targets'. Hope you guys enjoy this, and as usual, I make no money off this, but a non-flaming review would be gladly appreciated. Thank you and good night.


	6. Phone Call Hangover

Winnners! For reviews: Aisho Ren, spiritbird, Sashimio, flower child 14,candycakes19,schatzi333221, and nequam-tenshi!

For Favs: Sightlines, Sam-Uley's-little-sister, Blackandwhiteangel13, ChinaE, nightingale101, Hellfire000, Arizona sno, Axel , Wolfy258 and nequam-tenshi!  
1000 cybercookies each!

Me no own. Please review!

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Roy awoke to the sounds of birds chirping outside his window, an estranged sound for the young man who had been away from the easy going woodlands since he'd left Ollie's place. He rolled over in the satin sheets that were drawn around him and felt cotton against his skin where flesh was usually exposed in the morning. Where the hell was he?

Roy forced his eyes open and surveyed his surroundings. This room was huge… and it certainly wasn't his apartment. When he turned over he could see grass and small trees outside the window. And he watched as birds flittered from tree branch to tree branch. This place… no… it wasn't home. The bed didn't feel right. And the air smelled of prestigious colognes and perfumes from flowers of distant lands that Roy had only heard stories of. And the bed was far too comfortable, melding to his skin like a serpents skin. It's satin and silk covers moved against Roy's flesh like water, making him feel cooler just touching the fabrics. He wasn't in his boxers like he would be at the apartment. He was in a fluffy white robe and silk (or something like it) pants. His hair had been washed; he could still feel the clean wetness of the water as it evaporated from his head.

He didn't want to get up… even though he felt like he should, his body said to stay in bed. Everything felt heavy… heavier than normal too. And his ass felt like someone had taken him on a skateboard ride that ended with him hitting the pavement harder than tank falling from the sky.

The door across the room opened and Lex ushered himself into the room with his suave, sophisticated swagger. Roy turned his half asleep body towards the man and smiled. He didn't know why he should be smiling, but in the back of his mind, he felt like he needed to smile to make Lex happy.

"Good morning sweet one. How did you rest?" Lex asked as he sat down on the bed beside the younger man. Roy forced himself to sit up as his exhausted muscles caved on him.

"Well… I think…" Roy forced out as Lex captured the younger man's lips in a rough kiss. Roy returned the lip lock as much as he could, trying to move his strangely soft lips against the elder man's rougher ones.

"What happened last night?" Roy asked as he laid back down, unconcerned for the world and all its headaches that seemed to think his skull was a rave. Lex smiled as he caressed the younger man's hand.

"Well, aside from agreeing to come live with me, I tried to convince you to quit your day job and take life easy." Lex said as he kissed the top of the younger man's hand, treating the sweet boy like a princess. Roy, while normally against such treatment, couldn't argue. Perhaps it was the hormones from his new addition jumping in, but he appreciated the gesture none the less.

"Sorry Lex. No can do. I need to do something to make money after all…" Roy said as he closed his fingers around the other man's hand. Lex smirked and started to slide against the younger man's body. He pressed another kiss into the younger man's head as he smiled against the red hair. He had begun to really love the soft feel of the younger man's hair.

"I thought of that. Why don't you take up the part time online job we have…" Lex suggested as he massaged the younger man's neck. Roy couldn't believe that Lex found the one spot he was having trouble with so easily, but sure enough, he'd found the exact spot that was hurting.

"Why? I have a job." Roy said as he palmed his way into Lex's jacket. He felt Lex smirk against his red tufts and smiled knowing that he'd made someone happy.

"Yes. I called them earlier. They understood that I wanted you transferred to our 'corporate' offices." Lex said as he kissed Roy's cheek. Roy, speechless, moaned against the elder man's movements. He loved when Lex gave him innocent attention.

"So I 'work' for you now." Roy smiled as he spoke to the older man. Lex, in turn sat up and adjusted his clothes.

"Yes, I need to go in for a few hours and deal with some meetings. My first order for you is to get some rest and settle into your new home." Lex said as he leaned back in for a kiss, which Roy provided graciously. Roy collapsed back on the bed as the exhaustion hit again. Why was he so damn tired?

"Sorry about that, you were having a lot of stress last night, so we got you to take some muscle relaxers. You wouldn't calm down enough to talk to us unless we did." Lex said as he ran a mischievous finger along Roy's collar bone.

"Oh…" Roy said, only being able to believe what the elder man said. His elders… never misled him…right? Lex had been kind to him at the summit, saving his ass from the Rhealsia prison cells, and taking him on a whirlwind evening of drinking and entertainment. Lex had told him when they met that he'd forgotten to get a date for the evening, but later admitted that he'd planned on asking Roy to the events on the day that he'd realized the younger man was at the summit. Roy, rather uncomfortable with the former evil mastermind at first, agreed to the night only because he hated the thought of tickets going to waste. And they were for a ballet, not one of Roy's more favorite events, but it was worth the balcony seats that Lex had got. Then the man had insisted they go out to a late dinner, as Lex's treat. Roy, well trained in the lives of the rich and famous, accepted out of courtesy. And then Roy found that the drinking age was 15…

Long story short, Roy was happy to have a sober ride back to his hotel room.

Piss faced and stumbling, Roy managed to make his way to bed with Lex's help. And an adorably drunk Roy led the older man to crumble against the defenses and allowed the boy to fulfill his own desires. Lex, in all honesty, just happened to be there when an insatiable and disoriented Roy wanted to blow someone. Silently thinking back, Roy wanted to blow a billionaire, but not the one in front of him on the bed that night. What's worse, he fell asleep immediately after that and woke with a headache the size of Alaska. The resulting hangover made the boy swear that he wouldn't drink ever again, but the note left by Lex from the previous evening brought a little sunlight back into the young man's life. Just knowing that someone wanted him to exist seemed to make all the difference… though… perhaps he was being too hard on himself. Ollie didn't want him gone… but when in a maze, you can't always see why you turned that corner, only know that you turned it and the wall fell. But walls could be fixed if you put effort into it…

"I'll be back later to see you. Rest dear one. You look dead on your feet, and you aren't even out of bed yet." Lex said as he pressed a goodbye kiss to Roy's forehead and took his leave. Roy felt his head hit the pillows again, letting out a deep sigh. It felt so damn good to be allowed to sleep in again. And this time without the feeling of an imaginary anger dwelling from behind the doors of the Queen Mansion. True, looking back, Roy could see that his assumptions had led them down one hell of a path, but now he had a chance to make things right with Ollie…

…but what about Lex?

He couldn't just tell the man 'hey thanks for letting me live with you, but now that I'm good with the guy I really love, I'm taking off~'. He had to be kind to Lex… Lex had been his light when his own darkness had slowly consumed his mind. Lex had been kind to him when he'd thought the world would rather see him dead. In the back of Roy's mind, he realized how stupid he'd been on the whole ordeal thanks to teenage hormones, but he had to put that behind him now. The future was waiting, and moping about the world wouldn't give his path any security. He had people who cared about him that needed him to move forward. And, thanks to the Joker, he now had to get this stupid crud out of him. Part of him wondered what the effects would be. Addiction was chemical? He had never been that interested in chemistry when he was in school, but this sounded different. This might make his addiction issues worse. They might really take over every waking moment of his life.

Now Roy's head had been spinning in a tornado of confusion. The sensible (and dangerously devious) portion of his brain told Roy did have his choice of two of the most powerful men in the corporate world. He could kick up his feet, chill, and stay at home for the rest of his life if he wanted to under the guise of a sex addict. Lex had just given him a higher paying online job… to push away such an opportunity was not the best idea.

But… did he want a life with Lex? Or… did he want a life with Ollie?

Oh… urrggg…wait.

Oh that was an idea…

Roy grabbed his ear piece from the desk and hit the numbers. There was always someone sensible when you looked in the right place.

* * *

Ollie couldn't stop thinking about the kid. He needed to know that Roy was alright. He needed to know that the kid was safe. He didn't call or text when he got home last night (and no, Ollie totally wasn't watching the kids every move through the League's monitoring satellite…well, right up till the kid went into his apartment). Ollie was practically pacing now… and Black Canary had come by to check on the two, only to find that Roy was gone, and had a panic attack at the thought that the boys had another fight. Ollie had to stop and explain everything, about how he'd manned up and admitted his screw up (to which, every person makes mistakes, and Ollie was human, the real test is can you admit where you were wrong and apologize for those few moments when hormones or anger get the better of you).

"You know… I'm not usually one for the forceful approach, but perhaps going over to the kid's area and seeing what he's up to would be a good idea…" Canary said. She liked Roy as much as she like any of the other kids, but the drama king was getting on her nerves.

"I… I don't know…" Oliver said as he tried to accumulate his thoughts into a coherent pattern. He couldn't think straight right now… what if the kid was out getting hopped up again? No… Roy wouldn't do that after his ordeal… Ollie had watched him go through the withdrawal symptoms. The kid had learned his lesson this time… but frankly, Ollie had wished he didn't need to go through it at all. Roy was a good kid… what the hell had brought him to this insane drug? Pressure? Fun? Roy probably wouldn't have done it on a dare…

"Come on, Ollie. I know you've been monitoring the kid over the last few months. Checking out where he is with the League's camera's won't hurt anything… and I doubt old Bats will care." Black Canary added on. She had stopped dating Ollie after she'd found out that he'd told Roy a lie, even unintentionally. Other than things just not feeling right, she sensed that she was coming between the red head and his foster father more than she'd realized.

"You're… you're right. I should at least try to get in contact with the kid…" Ollie said as he reached for his long abandoned phone. He tried to scroll through the list to find the kids name, but remembered that the kid had changed his number after moving out, so looking for his caller identification was worthless. Ollie slumped against the back of the sofa he was sitting in, gently rubbing his face with his unoccupied hand. Canary sat down beside him, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. A quaint smile and a small kiss to the cheek showed Ollie that, while he didn't succeed, he still tried. And that's what matters in the long run.

"He'll call you when he's ready… though even I have to admit… I'm getting tired of the drama with him…" Canary said. Ollie smirked behind his hand covering his eyes from the obnoxious light that filled the room. Why did bright lights always have to come around when someone had a hangover or was trying to sleep or was having a migraine headache? Did these lights just hate those who were suffering?

And why was there a blanket over his head now?

"Why'd you throw a blanket over me?" Ollie said as he snuggled into the soft warmth.

"Because, you look like you need a good dark place to hide from your hangover." Canary said as she jumped when Ollie's phone rang. She ran to answer it, knowing that the man that was currently curled up in the blanket wasn't going to jump for it.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Dinah?" Roy's voice came over the phone. Her heart leapt when he spoke. She scurried back to the Ollie lump on the sofa and pulled up the covers while shoving the phone under the blanket and into Ollie's hand.

"It's Roy! It's Roy!" Dinah hushed as Ollie scrambled to sit up properly under the blanket.

"Roy! How- How are you?" Ollie sputtered out, trying to make sure the boy heard him.

"I'm… I'm ok…um… how's everything there?" Roy responded.

"Everything's good… things are… fun… normal…ish…" Ollie said as Dinah excused herself from the room. No reason to intrude on the boy's bonding time.

"Cool… cool… hey, um…" Roy started, but trailed off as he lost the courage to ask Ollie the questions that was burning on his tongue. Ollie wanted to hear the boy's sweet tongue speak to him. He'd missed Roy too much to just ignore him now.

"Roy?" Ollie asked over the phone.

"Um… would… you by any chance… have a…a few minutes to talk to me… alone… somewhere… in the near future?" Roy murmured out. Ollie nearly launched himself off the sofa when he said that.

"Yes! I can come get you tonight if you want! When do you want to meet? Where are you? I can be there soon! I promise!" Ollie yelped out, nearly causing Roy to cringe on the other end on the line. Ollie's butt met the floor with a rough crash as he fell off the sofa in his excitement. He could hear Roy pausing on the other end.

"How about tomorrow? Lunch? Around noon?" Roy asked timidly. Something was wrong… something was very wrong.

"Sure… kid, you ok? " Ollie asked, fearful for Roy's safety all of a sudden.

"Yeah… yeah… I… I think so. I'll see you tomorrow." The phone went dead. Ollie could only stare at his phone in disbelief. Uncertainty bubbled in Ollie's belly, but he managed to quell it enough to pull the blanket back over his head as Dinah sat on the sofa next to his feet.

"Glad to see you two made up." Dinah giggled as she listened to Ollie's drunken, frat boy hangover mode go back into 'whiny' drive.


	7. Skinny dipping

Reveiws!: MissFair-weather, Kiwisilence, and No Account.  
I …seem to have lost my story alerts and favs… but thank you if you did either!  
Read and review please!

* * *

Roy wasn't scared.

Roy was never scared.

He was cautious.

He was alert.

But Roy Harper was never scared. Nope. Not scared…

Certainly not scared of the man that had taken him to his private mansion on the edge of Metropolis. No one around for miles apparently. Roy's earlier trip around the wide expanse of trumped up gardens and picturesque fountains had proven that you could barely see the city from where they were. Roy felt oddly out of place knowing that the mansion wasn't near the centers of attention that he was so used to inhabiting. Roy was use to noise and odd ball guns shots at 3 AM. Not birds chirping, though in the back of his mind, he could tell he should have been more comfortable with the birds chirping than gunshots. He was raised around nature for fucks sake.

Though… this was the second morning he woke up with no memories of the previous day. Up to the point where Lex came home and offered a drink to Roy… which further encouraged the idea that Lex was drugging poor Roy out of his mind at night. There was no questioning it, because Roy didn't have violent episodes (well… when Ollie wasn't around to piss him off… but even then, they'd duke it out like guys and laugh it off in the few minutes that followed). So the 'need' to drug Roy into a calm state was odd to say the least. And the new bruises around his well formed hips looked suspiciously like fingers and hand prints. His ass felt like someone had taken him to a rodeo and tied him to a raging bull while it threw a temper tantrum the size of Texas. Roy wouldn't consent to sex…but it didn't feel like sex…well, except for the fact that the only sex Roy had participated in was sex with the insane clown king of Gotham. And one really wouldn't consider that sex…

Roy forced himself to wander outside of the room and into the empty mansion. One would think a place like this would be bustling with the motion of staff and handymen fixing and cleaning things as needed, but that wasn't the case. It was hollow. Empty to say the least. It's rich and dark decor was a sign of prestige and prominence- something Roy was somewhat familiar with. Roy was used to the high life dictating what he could and couldn't do. He was used to the idea of being where he was suppose to be…

…being beside Ollie…

Roy froze on his decent down the stairs, guilt rising in his chest as he thought of his mentor… his best friend… the only person in the world he felt he could trust at the moment. Ollie had been so kind to him… and Roy felt like he'd let him down. Ollie only wanted Roy to come back home, where he was missed. And Roy kept thinking about how hurt Ollie looked the last time he saw him. Maybe he wasn't mad, but he looked forlorn, as if someone had stolen his favorite toy. Ollie had been the only stable thing in Roy's life for the past few years. Roy owed the man so much, and he had let him down…

Roy forced his legs to start moving again, venturing to the west wing of the mansion this time. This place was so damn huge, Roy wouldn't be surprised if he found out that it held half a shopping mall worth of clothes and food, just to prove that Lex was wealthy. Maybe Lex had a waterslide in here somewhere? Or a crystal pool table. Heck, maybe Roy would stumble across a full sized indoor pool…

And Roy thought too soon. Surely enough, as he pushed his way through the hallways, he came to a beautifully tiled room with a full sized indoor pool. Roy wandered up to its depths with wide eyes. The floor held a beautiful mosaic pattern, complete with a scene of water lilies embedded into the oddly shaped bottom of the pool. The massive water feature was complete with a hot tub off to the side of the room, and a full waterfall. Roy was certain it was driven by solar power or something. It looked too nice to be wasteful, and knowing the rich and wealthy types 'concern with the environment', it was bound to have solar panels or special equipment to drive its motion. There were also exotic plants around the room, brightening the area with their flowering buds and brightly colored vines. Roy felt like it was designed to be a retreat from the real world. Not that he blamed Lex because Roy knew how utterly stressful the place could be.

If Roy wanted to, he could go skinny dipping for the time. It was going to be a few hours before Lex returned from work, right? Why not have some private fun?

Roy stripped himself of his red sleeveless shirt, noting that his back hurt again. His headaches were coming and going about every 20 minutes or so. He shed his loose black cargo pants and boxers, and gingerly slid into the pool. The water was cool, but not unpleasant. Roy had dived into far more frigid waters than this, and under much more unpleasant conditions. Getting shot at wasn't the best of times to go for a swim after all, but the water had saved him from an exploding javelin on one occasion.

Roy gently kicked off from the smooth edge of the pool, designed more like a lake now that Roy got a good look at it. Flat edges were nonexistent in this pool, everything was rounded off and smoothed over. The mosaic at the bottom of the pool was made from extremely tiny fragments of glass, creating more of a painted look than the blocky expectation Roy had believed all mosaics to adhere to.

Roy swam around for a bit, and then turned on his back to see the ceiling. It was painted as a giant painting of the sun and moon's changes. All of the phases of the moon were painted on the outer rim of the ceiling, while the interior of the ceiling was a large, bright white yellow sun, and the areas in between were painted as a sunset and sunrise, complete with clouds of varying colors. It was beautiful… and Roy wanted something like that on his ceiling.

…back at Ollie's place…

…back at home…

Curled up in his own bed, with his big stuffed tiger and Ollie sneaking into his room to make sure he was asleep and to run his fingers over the brat's hair. It was comforting, even if Roy didn't admit it to the older man, it meant the world to him just to know that the infamous Green Arrow cared about him as a friend…perhaps as a son…or…something like that… more than wishing some whore goodnight.

Roy realized he'd been floating in the same spot for about 10 minutes at this point, and decided to get out of the pool. He swam back up to the spot he'd gotten into the pool and grabbed one of the large towels on the rack, drying himself off enough to get his pants back on. He threw the towel back into the hamper nearby the rack and grabbed his boxers and shirt. Commando always felt good after being in water. He tossed his shirt and boxers on the stairs to go up the next time he was headed that way and threw himself down on the large black leather sofa in the den. He turned on the television to see what news was relatively new, and then started to allow himself to doze off.

He didn't hear the doors open, but he felt someone sit down next to his head when he opened his eyes.

"I see you've been keeping up with the local news, dear Roy."

"Wasn't much on to watch…" Roy said as he eased himself back onto the sofa again.

"Oh come now, this thing gets over a thousand channels, including on demand. Certainly you can find something that frolics your interests." Lex chuckled.

"Yeah… but I was just having a thinking day and needed some background noise…" Roy sighed as he rolled his shoulders back into the sofa.

"Ah, house too quiet for you?" Lex asked, trying to seem nice about having the kid in his presence. Roy obviously knew otherwise, and he was certain that's how things were while his ass still bore the marks of a rough evening of drugged groping (and he hoped nothing more).

"A little… makes me realize I hate empty rooms." Roy replied curtly, trying not to seem too stand offish, unless he wanted to tip off the elder man about how utterly uncomfortable he was in this situation.

Roy wasn't one to take being uncomfortable for long, and started to move as needed to get his fleeting feelings to dissipate sooner rather than later. Lex probably noticed this, but said nothing. He couldn't do anything if Roy protested, right?

"Roy, dear boy… why don't we get out of the house for a few minutes?" Lex asked. Roy felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he feared what the man could have had in mind. Lex wasn't what you would call reasonable when he wanted something- or that's what the League told them… that's what the League always told them.

And last Roy checked… he wasn't listening to the League.

But he was back on speaking terms with Ollie.

And… he could ask the man for help…

"Roy?" The conglomerate's president's voice broke his thought barrage. Roy was really beginning to hate this man. He wasn't exactly sure why, but waking up two days in a row with a sore rear and no explanation as to how the hell he'd gotten to bed after dinner the night before was more than enough of a reason to mistrust someone. Oh, and the claims that he was a drunken, drugged up maniac wasn't sitting to well with him either.

"Lex… I… really don't want to go back out today… I… just…don't feel like it." Roy admitted, turning onto his side as he pouted. And despite what the younger man would say, he did pout… a lot.

"Why not, dear boy? Elaborate?" Lex said as he ran a hand down the back now turned towards him. Roy sighed heavily, trying to dissipate some of the emotions rising in his chest. He hated the touch of this man. Given, yes, he hated touch in general since Ollie wouldn't heed his needs like he did to those women he used to bring to the manor, but Lex's touch was pure acid to his skin. He felt the vomit rising in his throat, and wanted to lash out at the man, but feared being either thrown into his room and locked away from the world… and Ollie… or being thrown into the monster's bed and raped without the drugs. Yes. He figured out that something was assaulting his ass when he wasn't looking. He just didn't know how… or why for that matter.

"I…I feel weak…" Roy said as he curled into himself again. His scars were slowly healing over, and his scratches from the previous night were disappearing sooner than he thought.

"Ah… well, you have been through a lot. That's to be expected. But you have so much promise here. We could rule the corporate world together. Think about it, your intelligence and my prestige. We'd be unstoppable." Lex said as he pulled the younger man into his lap. Roy flinched for a second, but then forced himself to relax out of fear.

"I… don't know what I want…" Roy forced out. He felt Lex tense like a tiger underneath him. He wasn't sure when he'd shut his eyes, but he forced them open again to find a hand coming towards his face. It hit hard, knocking Roy from his position on the sofa and to the ground. His shoulder hit first, making him yelp in pain. Lex stood up over him and glared down like a bear about to make the killing blow to a wounded dear. He'd seen the look in many a villains' eye before.

"L-Lex? What are you doing…" Roy stuttered out as he reached for his sore cheek.

"You don't seem to see the bigger picture… You WILL behave, dear Roy. I've been very patient with this annoying drama you've brought to me… but no more. Now go to your room. I will get you when dinner is ready." Lex demanded. Roy, genuinely fearing for his safety now, scrambled off the floor and to his feet. He didn't look back, and didn't stop running until he was in his room with the door locked behind him. He stopped for a moment to get his bearings…then felt the wetness of tears running down his tender cheeks. He didn't stop them, not that he could… but when he heard the footsteps coming from outside the door, he stood up and forced himself to wipe them away. He ran into the bathroom and splashed water on his face to improve his redness a little.

"Roy?" The man's voice came through the door. He heard Lex trying to open the handle that he locked, and stayed put. He feared this man… but if he played nice tonight… he could pack his things quietly and sneak back to Ollie tomorrow when he was able to.

"I'm here…" Roy said with downcast eyes as he answered the door.

"Dearest Roy… dinner is ready. Would you care to join me?" Lex said as he held out a mockingly comforting hand. He felt bile rise in the back of his throat, but did little to quell it. He forced a smile onto his face, but accepted the offer in fear of what the man may do to him if he refused.

"Sure…" the boy hushed out, trying to cover his insecurities as best he could. Last thing he needed right now was to tip off this jerk that he didn't want to be within 20 miles of him. He followed the man, not taking his offered hand- because Roy wasn't a fucking girl. He was a dude, and he'd act like one thank you very much. Even if his thoroughly trained mind reverted to standard etiquette when dealing with his elders, he couldn't help but feel the sudden urge to trip the man.

The next day came, and Roy awoke at 11 am (almost on the dot). He flung himself out of bed to find his ribs were killing him. Normally, he could do this when he was late and get away with it. But something was wrong. He looked down to his covered chest and pulled his hand (which had thrown itself across his body to protect him out of fight or flight) and pulled up his shirt (when the hell did he put a shirt on?).

He saw bright purple bruises on his ribs…

…in the shape of handprints.

Roy felt sick. He felt really, really sick. Throwing himself from the floor as best he could, Roy tried to stand up and get to his cell phone. He was still able to think like a man, and managed to rationalize that putting his phone out of Lex's sights was the best thing he could do. So he hid it under his mattress when he got a chance, making sure that its ringer was on silent so that he wouldn't alert the man. He reached down and pulled the tiny black device from its confines in the mattress; placing it next to his ear after he pushed his second speed dial button. He listened as it rang, and a wave of relief ran over him as he heard the voice of his mentor on the other side.

"Hello?" A familiar baritone voice came across the line.

"Ollie…" Roy whispered out, keeping his calm barely underhand as he felt the fear swelling in his chest.

"Kid, what's wrong?" Ollie shot out of his chair to listen to the kid. Roy sounded like something was wrong.

"Nothing…well… are we still meeting today?" Roy pleaded over the phone. He tried not to sound desperate, but his steadfast emotions seemed to fail him. He hoped Ollie didn't notice.

"Yeah…unless you have to cancel on me?" Ollie said with a descending tone. He really loved the kid, but got always got the feeling that the brat would turn at the last moment when he had his chance. Not that he didn't have reason to think such a thing…

"No! No, I… I really want to see you." Roy jumped in. He knew he sounded awful, like he'd just been kicked in the nuts by a four year old.

"Well then… can you meet me at the little coffee shop on 5th and Madison in 40 minutes?" Ollie asked without thinking twice. Roy's voice did hold some sort of frightened tone, but maybe he'd just woken up. The kid could take care of himself… he… he was a big boy now.

When they met, Roy looked like hell. He clearly hadn't even looked in the mirror that morning, since an unwelcomed addition decided to make its place at home on his face.

"Roy? Wha- What happened?" Ollie stuttered out as he ran up to the kid and started to fawn over his face like a mother cat to her kitten. Roy was a little taken back by this development. He didn't look into a mirror before he left the mansion, but he did manage to leave all the unnecessary things behind as he ran out the door and got onto his bike.

"Ollie? What are you talking about?" Roy blurted out as he allowed himself to be pulled into a hug. He wouldn't admit it often, but he did like the contact that Ollie was providing right now. He felt safe. He knew in the back of his mind he shouldn't, based on how many times he'd been betrayed in the past, but he couldn't help but allow his muscles to relax as Ollie caressed his sore chest. He moaned in pain a bit when the roughened hands went over his now-seemingly broken ribs. Ollie pulled back and pushed the boy back into the garage they'd both parked in. He forced the kids' shirt up to see the damage he feared was there.

"Roy… who the hell did this to you?" Ollie said as he ran a single hand over the ribs, causing the kid to hiss in pain.

"I… I don't…" Roy started, only to be cut off.

"Who?-" Ollie seethed again.

"…Lex…" Roy said at last. He felt his stomach drop out of his gut, much like his self respect. What was he doing? Couldn't he take care of himself?

His conscious was screaming at him to be rational about this. He had to think for a long minute before looking back to Ollie, as if he expected the answer to pop out from the man's jacket.

"You've been bunking with Luthor?" Ollie growled. No one took his Roy to bed without his permiss- Wait… what was he thinking…the kid was all grown up. He could make his own (horrible) decisions without Ollie's help or harm.

"Yeah. Bad mistake…" Roy said as he looked away from the older man. He was so ashamed of himself.

"Roy. If you…if you want to come home, I'd love to have you back." Ollie said as he let go of the kid's shirt and hugged him roughly. Roy felt tears welling in his eyes, either from happiness or pain, as he embraced the man. For the first time in months, he told his borderline psycho subconscious to shut the hell up.

"Please…" Roy whispered as he pulled himself closer to the older man. The tears were flowing now, and he didn't bother to stop them. He didn't care if the whole world saw. He was finally home…

"Kid…let's not go to the coffee shop. You're gonna to get some bad looks there. Do you want anything? Hungry? Thirsty?" Ollie asked they released each other and walked back towards Ollie's car. They stopped for a moment to get Roy's bike into the back and tossing his stuff upfront. Ollie pulled the kid into his lap, he grappled the brat into a welcoming hug as he pressed his nose into his hair. Roy laughed breathlessly, and didn't stop laughing until Ollie's beard left his face. He'd never admit it, but that scratchy patch of fuzz was amazingly fun to play with.

* * *

And done for now~~~ Read, review… will try to make time to type more… if I keep the tv off it tends to go faster.

Sorry, my brain farted on the last bit of this. Hellllloooo writers block!


	8. Invader at the resturant

Reviews: Dark-Angel-Princess 01, MyLittleAngelxxx and nequam-tenshi!

Fav's: aawowaa, schwarzerrabe, kageshi, Roofiegirl, LifeAndSushi, Always-Average, LadyRowanHood, FlamingG, and a living hell!

1000 cybercookies each!

Nequam-tenshi: I can't answer your question yet! :D no but really, it will be answered soon! Promise! I can't give away the story, but it will be fun to write!

Me no own Young Justice- DC does. No money is made off this fanfiction.

Please review politely!

* * *

Roy snuggled into his blankets. He was warm, happy and damn glad to be back where he belonged. With the greedy evildoers staying quiet and the League and its associates getting a break (well, most of them, Bats was probably busting up a gang as they spoke and Superman had been on an earthquake run for the last few days), Ollie didn't need to be anywhere. So, the green clad man was snoring like a bear on the sofa, not three feet away from him.

Part of Roy's mind wouldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened. One particularly annoying part wouldn't shut up about Ollie…

He really loved the billionaire archer.

Problem was… he was starting to think of the man as more than his foster dad.

Aside from the embarrassment at the League on July 4th, Roy felt that he'd done so much damage to their relationship by running off and landing himself in the 'damsel in distress' position; More so when he couldn't just walk out of Lex's house without feeling like he was going to be shot. Ollie's agreeing to meet him at the coffee shop was the only thing he felt was safe enough to wander from his former captor.

Roy knew Lex hated to be outdone. No one took him for a fool, and certainly not the attractive drama king of the League's sidekicks. Roy knew he was volatile. He knew his temper would shred most of his dignity if he allowed it to. He knew that Ollie's humorous side was the only thing that kept him from losing it on their missions, and that the man was everything that he wasn't. They made a wonderful team together- and Roy threw that away. He stomped on it and threw it to his mentor's feet before throwing a tantrum and leaving the green clad archer standing there in front of his friends, looking like a fool.

…If he had the ability to turn back time, Roy would have stopped that moment from ever happening.

If none of that had gone down, he wouldn't be bruised and beaten by a madman's hands while he did who knows what to the boy while he slept. For that matter, Lex probably drugged the boy to make him sleep through the assault.

The thought of that monster's hands grubbing his sides like a hungry bear made Roy want to punch something. He wanted to scream and flail and thrash as much as he could while he had that idea fresh in his mind. He couldn't allow Ollie to understand what he was thinking. It was… it was too much.

Ollie had been so kind to him, even bringing him back home when he was certain that anyone else would have thrown the druggie right back out on the streets, damaged or not.

That good heartedness would get the green archer killed one day.

Roy allowed himself a long look at Ollie while the television hummed mildly in the background. This was his paradise. A high walled mansion, far away from the paparazzi, closed off from the world and with the only person (despite what his teenaged mind was fuming about) who understood him.

…and far away from Lex.

Roy wouldn't admit it out loud, but last night had given him some time to think to himself without the threat of being drugged and molested (or worse). He laid awake for three hours trying to mull over everything that had happened, occasionally feeling the bruises on his own body just to make sure this wasn't an awful dream gone loco.

He thought about Lex, and how the man was so kind to him with they first met.

He thought of Ollie, and how the blonde archer had kept everything the way it was suppose to be, as if he'd expected Roy's return all along. Maybe he had.

He thought of the League, and how they would respond to what had happened. Would they think of him as nothing more than a villains bedded thrall? Would they use him to lure Lex into a trap? What if they just didn't want him around the Team anymore?

The team. Oh god. What would Kaldur think? Robin and Kid Flash were too young to understand this kind of stuff (weren't they? He could only guess their ages with their masks on…). Mgann wasn't from Earth, so it would be hard to expect her to understand what was going on in a situation like this. For all Roy knew, she might have been too young to understand this as well… but that was all assumption. Conner wasn't likely to know what the emotional stress of this meant, but he'd probably get the larger parts of treachery and deceit. Artemis was most likely going to throw up her shields again if the matter was brought to her. Roy knew she wasn't Ollie's niece…but he couldn't write her off as insensitive yet. He barely knew her. This was why he couldn't really trust her around his friends.

"GAh….gahmm…mmm… Ro-Roy?" Ollie asked as he awoke, haphazardly fumbling around to adjust his loose sweater that had slid around while he was napping. It was only mid-afternoon, but the calm winds and peaceful sounds of nature that peeped in from the cracked windows was enough to make anyone doze off.

"Yeah Ollie?" Roy said as he took a drink from his soda. Ollie smirked at him.

"What time is it?" Ollie yawned as he stretched.

"Around four. We've slept away most of the day." Roy replied, giving a bit of a laugh at the end to lighten the moody air he'd been brewing in.

"You say day, I say we have the night to have as much fun as we want." Ollie chuckled, keeping the positive emotions up.

"Well… true." Roy admitted.

"We could always watch some movies. Or we could go out to grab dinner. That little Chinese shop you like is open until eight. We could get their before the crowds hit if we leave soon." Ollie tempted the youngster.

"I'd like that. I'd really, really like that."Roy smirked as he felt the warm comfort of memories he'd made with Ollie at times like these oozing back into his mind.

* * *

"Where the hell is he?" Lex roared. His secretary nearly jumped out of her skin, trembling at the sheer volume of his voice. Lex Luthor was not a man to lose his temper often, but when he did, he lost it with style.

Well… as much style as a rabid badger would have when attacking a mongoose.

"He's still at Mr. Queen's mansion. We can't legally enter the premise unless we're invited." The woman replied, not even raising her head to respond to him. She was getting tired of reacting to his outbursts, and found that wasting the energy to deal with him before he calmed down on his own was tedious at best.

"What if we got a warrant for stolen property?" Luthor growled, his rage evident and growing.

"Roy's a person, not an object. We would lose that battle fast." His secretary said, fanning through the papers on her clip board once again. The CEO couldn't be angrier. He needed to get Roy back. The idea of the Justice League having control of another project that cost him four million just to design, much less create, was a dreadful premise.

"So, what's our plan now?" Lex sighed, bringing his hand to his eyes and covering them dramatically.

"We wait." His secretary responded.

* * *

Roy felt vulnerable out in public. He knew he shouldn't since no one but Ollie, him and the docs knew what had happened to him. That didn't stop his over wary mind from trying to sabotage his every movement. He was hyper aware that every set of eyes- all those tiny beady eyes- were watching him and waiting for him to have a mental break down. He felt like every man they passed was a Joker spy, waiting to report him back to the clown. Or maybe they worked for Luther, and were under orders to keep a close surveillance on him. The CEO was bound to take drastic measures to get him back. He didn't understand why the man couldn't just find someone else to 'participate' in his little wacked out control freak lifestyle. Certainly there was someone out there- someone crazy enough- to want to have their life royally fucked with on every level while having their psychological status kicked in the balls by Luther's new Jekyll and Hyde act.

The man had thrown off everything he'd ever known about right and wrong. First he made the League look like a bunch of assholes just by acting like he cared more about the Team than the League did. In fact, all of the villains seemed to be kinder to the Team when they were together than when they were fighting with their mentors. It was a noticeable change. Cheshire didn't take out his soft points when he wasn't with Ollie on the job. Klarion had even told off Nabu when he took over Zatarra, which was an odd thing to do when you were supposedly the Lord of Order's and the magician's counterpart. And Count Vertigo hadn't taken the time to cream Wally when he had a clear shot at the speedster while he was out in the hospital. Unless there were spots on the sun, the villains shouldn't have cared what happened to the sidekicks. It was… unreal.

They took their seats in the little Chinese restaurant, meeting the familiar chairs with comfortable motions. Ollie knew what Roy wanted, so he ordered for him. Part of Roy was glad to see that he wasn't forgotten, and that Ollie still remembered his favorite things. The other part was still on high alert, watching every car that drove by the small windows in the walls with hyper alertness.

Things had definitely changed since Roy was gone. Ollie told him about the mess that the League had gone through on the car drive over to the little restaurant. Where the bad guys had stopped picking on the sidekicks, they returned it ten times over with the League. Aside from initiating several new members in the last few weeks, all but Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Flash, and the Lanterns had been out of commission. Battles were getting rougher, and the villains were throwing everything they had at the League. Rumor had it Ocean Master had stolen someone from the Atlantica royal palace- most likely one of Aquaman's or Kaldur's friends. Roy hadn't heard from Kaldur in weeks. He should give him a call when they were safely home. Just to make sure the kid was alright.

"So… what have you been up to since you've been out on your own?" Ollie asked, breaking the stillness with his handsome baritone. Roy snapped his head out of its leaning position. He broke a small smile, feeling like he'd been kicked in the gut.

"Been… seeing things. Doing stuff." Roy said as he took an awkward sip of his drink to keep his straining mouth from saying the one thing he didn't want to remember right now.

_Lex. _

For the sake of all things decent, he would hate that name until the end of time. Why the hell did he even fall for that rich bastard in the first place? Did the CEO spike his drink? Tempt him with an aphrodisiac in his beer while he was miserable in Rhelashia? It didn't make any sense when he thought about it. All relatively common sense (because Roy rarely had common sense these days…) dictated that he shouldn't have gone with the man in the first place. He should have called a taxi to take him back to the hotel, even if it probably would have cost him a stolen kidney instead!

"Seeing people?" Ollie inquired innocently. There it was! There was the bait! Ollie was trying to get him in a public place where he knew Roy wouldn't make a scene like he did at the Hall of Justice.

"Not anyone I wanted to see." Roy resigned to growling out. He felt that while he was under Ollie's roof, he should answer the man's questions honestly. The last time he tried to lie to Ollie it ended up with Roy tied to a chair while Blood Rose tried to feel him up in front of Queen. That might have been his most embarrassing night ever. Not that Blood Rose wasn't attractive, but the grudge she held against Queen Industries before they went bankrupt was unusual by that point. She got what she wanted, right? So why keep pursing Green Arrow?

"So… let's get the elephant out of the room. Why were you with Lex?" Ollie pointedly asked, cutting right through what little defenses Roy had left up. Roy gave a weak smile, trying to keep himself in check. This was Ollie. The man only wanted the best for the kid. He had always wanted the best for Roy. That's why he threw Roy's name into the pool when they were talking about who to add to the League. Fuck his stupidly sweet heart.

Roy didn't just imagine his mentor nude.

No.

No… That would be weird.

"I…he… oh, fuck. We met in Taipei. After I saved his rotten ass from Cheshire, I went for a long drink." Roy started, gaining him a sharp, but not disappointed look from Ollie. That look that said 'well, I'm not surprised, but really? This soon?'.

"What'd ya have?" Ollie broke the tension with a joking laugh. Roy always liked that about Ollie. He knew how to diffuse a ticking time bomb of a wreaked conversation with a single laugh.

"Oh, you know, whatever was cheapest at the time." Roy smirked back, even giving a little laugh of his own to douse the fuse that much more. Just like when they were first partners. Man he missed those times.

"Anyways…" Ollie encouraged.

"So, went drinking. Got so pissed face I didn't know who was buying me booze anymore. Next thing I know- poof! I'm in my suite, hangover using my head as a drumset and Luthor sitting there like he owned the place." Roy spoke, dramatically motioning with his hands and wrists to keep his movements in the booth. No need to cause a scene after all.

"Did he?" Ollie joked again. Roy laughed.

"Yeah. Turns out the hotel was his. He had the skeleton key card and all." Roy replied with a happy smile.

"Didn't try to feel you up did he?" Ollie smirked back with a slightly harder voice, underlying tone still there. Roy couldn't find the reason to get angry. He knew in the back of his mind he should be rampant that the man was joking about him getting felt up, but… this was Ollie. Roy knew he meant well, even if he acted like a total flake about it. He could also see that if he replied 'yes' to that, Ollie would have had a missile shoved so far up Luthor's ass, his brain would explode before it detonated. Not the best way to diffuse the situation on this round… but that was the Ollie way of getting his information from the kid.

"Don't really know. Should have told him to buy me dinner first though!" Roy laughed with him. It felt good to laugh again.

"Roy…" Ollie said as he glanced down at his drink, an uncertain look glazing his face.

"Hum?" Roy encouraged.

"I… I think… it would be best if you stayed in the mansion for a while." Ollie said as he sent his blue eyed gaze right back to the red head's.

"Why do you think so?" Roy asked pointedly, sounding harsher than he'd intended.

"Well, aside from the recent events, I can't help but notice that your boy toy is sitting about two booths behind us." Ollie whispered as he glanced over to the LexCorp CEO, who was trying to act subtle in his position. Roy used the mirrors on the walls of the restaurant to see if Ollie was right, wincing when his eyes met the familiar suit that he'd come to hate over the last few days.

"Ollie…" Roy hushed out, unexpected panic rising in his chest. His heart raced and his ears were listening in for the minutest sounds available. Ollie reached out his hand and placed it on the younger man's, adding a smile to the gentle gaze meant only for Roy.

"Stay calm. We'll eat quickly and get back home." Ollie said as he removed his hand from Roy's. He carefully slid around the booth to get closer to the younger man. Roy scooted himself close to the older man, allowing the tan jacketed arm to wrap itself around Roy's shoulders. The warmth of the arm calmed Roy, not that he'd admit it…

The food came out a few minutes later, hot and steaming. Roy felt a little disappointed when Ollie removed his arm from the younger man's shoulders, but didn't voice it. They finished as quickly as they could and awaited the waitress to return with Ollie's card. That's when Lex decided to make his move. The overly dressed man got up from his table and stood right in front of the Arrow's table. Roy felt his guts clench in repulsion. His heart rate shot up, hands sweating and tongue oddly dry all of a sudden.

"Roy! I didn't expect to see you here." Lex played off the innocent act like a new born baby. Ollie made a point to put himself between the two when he saw the evil, and potentially hurt, look in Roy's eyes.

"Hello. Oliver Queen." Ollie said as he held out his hand to Lex- a common corporate greeting forced from Ollie's position. If he could, he would have decked the man as hard as possible, but the media vultures would have capitalized on it. He could see it now- 'Queen Industries pummels Lex Luthor!'. Lex took the offered hand in salutations with a calm smirk. Roy wanted to scream. Ollie shouldn't be making friends with his rapist! Or… whatever he did to Roy. Roy didn't _know_ if Lex had actually raped him while he was drugged out. So it wasn't like he could just jump to conclusions. That's what got him red listed by the League in the first place.

"Nice to meet the owner of Queen Industries." Lex said with acting perfection. Roy wanted to strangle him. His teeth clenched painfully against his jaw, straining sore muscles past their limit.

"I hate to say, but we're in a bit of a rush. Got a movie to catch." Ollie said with a smirk as he wrapped an arm around Roy's back to bring him closer. Roy felt a bit of the sickening tension release when Ollie took him back under his wing. It felt like home. It felt safe. It felt like the place Roy never should have left on the first round. Like Lex couldn't lay a finger on him if he tried.

"Ah. What are you seeing?" Lex asked, again being polite. Roy wanted to bolt the second he saw that familiar smile that had overtaken his sense of decency back in Rhelashia.

"Lord of the Rings. The second one." Ollie replied as he started to maneuver Roy towards the door as subtly as he could. Roy walked quickly towards the door before that awful voice came to his ears again.

"Aren't you even going to say goodbye, Roy?" Lex asked, quickly cornering the boy near the door before Queen could even move. Ollie couldn't do anything if he wasn't violating the law… so he had to watch. Just had to watch as Roy gave him that sad, frightened look. The look of a child who had just undergone a horrible nightmare and wanted comfort from their parents. The look of a terrified girl who had just escaped her would be murderers.

Ollie swore after this, Roy would never have to bear that look again.

"It was… 'nice'… seeing you again Lex." Roy was about to turn away from the man when the CEO's hand came up to his neck, grabbing his jaw as Roy's face was brought to Lex's lips. Ollie was enraged just to see this, even if he could only just see the back of the pair. He reached out to grab Luthor, ready to slug him, when the man quickly turned and slid out the open door.

"You as well, Roy boy."


	9. Cute Day at home

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Please review politely!

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Roy snuggled into his blankets. He was warm, happy and damn glad to be back where he belonged. With the baddies staying quiet and the good guys getting a break (well, most of them, Bats was probably busting up a gang as they spoke and Superman had been on an earthquake run for the last few days), Ollie didn't need to be anywhere. So, the green clad man was snoring like a bear on the sofa, not 3 feet away from him.

Part of Roy's mind wouldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened. One particularly annoying part wouldn't shut up about Ollie…

He really loved Ollie.

Problem was… he was starting to think of the man as more than his foster dad.

Aside from the embarrassment at the League on July 4th, Roy felt that he'd done so much damage to their relationship by running off and landing himself in the 'damsel in distress' position when he couldn't just walk out of Lex's house without feeling like he was going to be shot. Ollie's agreeing to meet him at the coffee shop was the only thing he felt was safe enough to wander from his former captor.

Roy knew Lex hated to be outdone. No one took him for a fool, and certainly not the attractive drama king of the League's sidekicks. Roy knew he was volatile. He knew his temper would shred most of his dignity if he allowed it to. He knew that Ollie's humorous side was the only thing that kept him from losing it on their missions, and that the man was everything that he wasn't. They made a wonderful team together- and Roy threw that away. He stomped on it and threw it to his mentor's feet before throwing a tantrum and leaving the green clad archer standing there in front of his friends, looking like a fool.

…If he had the ability to turn back time, Roy would have stopped that moment from ever happening.

If none of that had gone down, he wouldn't be bruised and beaten by a madman's hands while he did who knows what to the boy while he slept. For that matter, Lex probably drugged the boy to make him sleep through the assault.

The thought of that monster's hands grubbing his sides like a greedy bear made Roy want to punch something. He wanted to scream and flail and thrash as much as he could while he had that idea fresh in his mind. He couldn't allow Ollie to understand what he was thinking. It was… it was too much.

Ollie had been so kind to him, even bringing him back home when he was certain that anyone else would have thrown the druggie right back out on the streets, damaged or not.

That good heartedness would get the green archer killed one day.

Roy allowed himself a long look at Ollie while the television hummed mildly in the background. This was his paradise. A high walled mansion, far away from the paparazzi, closed off from the world and with the only person (despite what his teenaged mind was fuming about) who understood him.

…and far away from Lex.

Roy wouldn't admit it out loud, but last night had given him some time to think to himself without the threat of being drugged and beaten (or worse). He laid awake for three hours trying to mull over everything that had happened, occasionally feeling his own body just to make sure this wasn't an awful dream gone loco.

He thought about Lex, and how the man was so kind to him with they first met.

He thought of Ollie, and how the blonde archer had kept everything the way it was supposed to be, as if he'd expected Roy's return all along. Maybe he had….

He thought of the League, and how they would respond to what had happened. Would they think of him as nothing more than a villains punching bag? Would they use him to lure Lex into a trap? What if they just didn't want him around the Team anymore?

The team. Oh god. What would Kaldur think? Robin and Kid Flash were too young to understand this kind of stuff (weren't they? He could only guess their ages with their masks on…). Mgann wasn't from Earth, so it would be hard to expect her to understand what was going on in a situation like this. For all Roy knew, she might have been too young to understand this as well… but that was all assumption. Conner wasn't likely to know what the emotional stress of this meant, but he'd probably get the larger parts of treachery and deceit. Artemis was most likely going to throw up her shields again if the matter was brought to her. Roy knew she wasn't Ollie's niece…but he couldn't write her off as insensitive yet. He barely knew her. Which was why he couldn't really trust her around his friends.

"GAh….gahmm…mmm… Ro-Roy?" Ollie asked as he awoke, haphazardly fumbling around to adjust his loose sweater that had slid around while he was napping. It was only mid-afternoon, but the calm winds and peaceful sounds of nature that ebbed in from the cracked windows was enough to make anyone sleepy.

"Yeah Ollie?" Roy said as he took a drink from his soda. Ollie smirked at him.

"What time is it?"

"Around four. We've slept away most of the day."

"You say day, I say we have the night to have as much fun as we want."

"Well… true."

"We could always watch some movies. Or we could go out to grab dinner. That little Chinese shop you like is open until eight pm. We could get their before the crowds hit if we leave soon."

"I'd like that… I'd really, really like that."

* * *

"Where the hell is he?!" Lex roared. His secretary nearly jumped out of her skin, trembling at the sheer volume of his voice. Lex Luthor was not a man to lose his temper often, but when he did, he lost it with style.

Well… as much style as a rabid badger would have when attacking a mongoose.

"He's still at Mr. Queen's mansion. We can't legally enter the premise unless we are invited." The woman replied, not even raising her head to respond to him. She was getting tired of reacting to his outbursts, and found that wasting the energy to deal with him before he calmed down on his own was tedious at best.

"What if we got a warrant for stolen property?" Luthor growled, his rage evident and growing.

"Then Roy would just say you beat him when he finds out. We would lose that battle fast." His secretary said, fanning through the papers on her clip board once again. The CEO couldn't be angrier. He needed to get Roy back. The idea of the Justice League having control of another project that cost him four million just to design, much less create, was a dreadful premise.

"So, what's our plan now?" Lex sighed, bringing his hand to his eyes and covering them dramatically.

"We wait." His secretary responded.


	10. Who could it be now?

Sorry about the updates taking so long. I have a lot of tests that take about 2 weeks on and two weeks off to handle this semester. Good news is my grades have jumped dramatically. Bad news is not much time to play around in creative land.

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Story : Wildgodess451, Kaoru Tezuka, doomedpassion, yaoifanfake, Tabycatkitten, Devilocity666, Flower-Child14, Miyuki Tanaka, anime-rock, hisoka01, Solitude-Garden, Karinnaa, PeorthMoon, and Babi-luvs-skyler! 1000 cybercookies each!

As promised, dear MyLittleAngelxxx, here's the next chapter! Got my brain cleaned up and restarted! Let's see if I can make it to the author's store to get some more brain oil for this machine!

as usual: me no own, yaoi warning, no like- no read. That cover it? Ok.

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Roy couldn't recall the last time he'd awoken in Ollie's bed. Hell, he couldn't recall the last time the older man had made breakfast for him! But awaking next to the blonde man who had his heavy arm thrown over Roy's stomach like a rock was a real treat. Ollie's hair was mussed and sloppily scattered on his head, reminding Roy of when a woman had ruffled his perfectly kempt coif. The only humorous notion was that Roy's hands were responsible for the ruffling this time. They had joked around like old buddies when they came back home, and then got piss faced drunk. Yes, Ollie gave Roy -a minor- booze. Not that anyone outside their little abode had to know. Besides, Roy was more responsible than most of the teens his age. It wasn't like he was driving or chugging a whole bottle at once.

Ollie's snores were endearing though. Roy had learned to enjoy these little, peaceful moments with Ollie. It wasn't like he got a lot of chances to enjoy Ollie's presence without someone else jutting in unexpectedly. Ollie was a busy man, and if he hadn't told his secretary and business partners to keep the company running while he was busy, Roy was certain they'd beat down the door while Roy and Ollie slept each evening.

Roy had felt nauseous since he'd awoke. The booze was not settling well in his stomach. But the weird little voice in the back of his head chimed in on a sour note, saying that the amount he'd drunk last night was enough to make any kid his age puke until dawn.

He feared that Lex might have actually accomplished something. What if- what if he was actually mutated by that shit? What if Lex tried to claim some corporate right to his body? What if Ollie couldn't help him against the law? Would he have to go back to being Lex's plaything?

Ollie's phone rang at that exact moment, sending shocking shivers through the kid's spine. Damn phones for fucking with the wonderful silence of the morning. How dare they ruin these precious moments! Ollie awoke with a startle, grabbing his phone and shoving it against his messy beard.

"Hm- Hello?" Ollie blurted against the phone. Roy could only twist his body over to give the blonde man some privacy with his conversation. Despite having the man stolen from him, he had to respect that the man was important and needed in damn near every aspect of his life. Roy couldn't monopolize the guy all the time.

"Hm… ok. Ok. Yeah. Yeah, ok." Roy heard the blonde man woofing. He couldn't hear who it was on the other end of the phone. Damn his curiosity. Ollie hung up on whoever it was and turned to Roy.

"Roy? You awake?" Ollie asked as he reached a warm hand over to Roy's shoulder and gently rocked him. Roy twisted his spine to see Ollie again. He had to love that messy look. It made the older man look so human. Ollie always prided himself on his Adonis like good looks, but this moment made him look more like an average Joe. Roy chuckled a little as Ollie smirked at him.

"I'm up. Who was that?" Roy asked as he stretched. Good morning! His spine greeted him with a deafening crack that seemed to echo through the room. And his back, shoulders, legs, and neck repeated with a chorus of pops and strains.

"That was Batsy. He said-" Ollie paused for a moment to sigh "they found something at the labs they raided last night. We need to get into gear and go see them at the Watchtower, as soon as we can." Ollie replied, hauling himself out of bed. Roy didn't want to get up at the moment, so he rolled over again and gave his muscles another cat like stretch. Ollie was already throwing on his robe, not that Roy cared. He could go all natural if he wanted. Roy had seen it before, and it was Ollie's house after all. Roy didn't care if they went nude all the time. Hell, it would have made this place more fun after years of living with a fucking sex symbol.

"So, what did they find that might be so interesting?" Roy asked innocently. Ollie laughed at him just a bit. It was good to see the kid smile at him again after all of this drama king mess. It wasn't the Roy he loved so much. It wasn't the kid he'd taken in and started really feeling something real for the first time in years. He couldn't figure out exactly what he felt, but it was somewhere between love of a son and love of a partner. And that definition could have been interpreted in damn near any sense, but Ollie wasn't too focused on that. He had his Roy back. That's what mattered. After last night, where Roy had joked, wrestled, and played just like back in the days when the kid had first come to live with Ollie, he just couldn't focus on the days that had been so royally wacked.

"Hey, do you want to grab breakfast before we head out?" Ollie offered as he headed for the door.

"Hell yeah!" Roy exclaimed, jumping up from the bed and starting to throw his clothes on quickly. Ollie was ahead of him, going down to the kitchen to start eggs and bacon. Roy joined him about twelve minutes later, practically bouncing off the walls with teenage energy. As they sat down, Ollie chose the moment to pop the rough question that had been grinding on his head for the last few days. He'd been avoiding it with Roy out of respect, but this seemed like the best time. When they were alone and Roy couldn't embarrass himself and in turn, make himself angrier.

"So… there really isn't going to be a good time to ask this, but I was thinking… what do you want to do about… what Lex shot you up with." Ollie asked, stuffing a hunk of eggs in his mouth.

Roy looked down at his plate and shoved some eggs around, having already consumed the bacon. Boys love their bacon.

"I should just let it wear off. But I hate feeling like a freak. I want it out of my system." Roy said, stuffing some scrambled eggs into his mouth. Ollie had to sympathize with the kid. It was bad enough at his age to feel different from everyone else, but to have someone experiment on you against your will was a whole new ball game.

"I can get something arranged with the doc from before. Would you like to see her again? She can keep her mouth shut." Ollie offered, trying to make this as easy as possible for the kid. The doc was a League doctor, and it wouldn't have to go down on any outside record in a public hospital where any nurse with an ax to grind could exploit the only kid who was close to Queen. Queen industries had enemies. He wouldn't put it past one to go snooping where available.

"That would be perfect." Roy's perfectly sapphire eyes came to look at his guardian. Ollie had to love that smile. It was a reclusive thing, but a greatly cherished one when it decided to sneak onto Roy's face.

"Let's get going. The League's got it out for me being late enough."

* * *

They arrived at the Watchtower in full gear, with Roy wearing his extra Red Arrow suit. They were lucky if their pants survived each mission, so extra suits were an absolute must. Wonder Woman walked them towards the medical center, which made Roy tense unexpectedly. He never liked medical rooms. They made him feel vulnerable. Needles and knives were nothing, but having to remove all his clothing so some strange could poke and prod at his body without his consent always made it difficult.

"Roy, there's something you should know before we go in." Diana said. Roy stopped with a confused look. No one but Ollie and Dinah called him Roy.

"Um, ok?" He replied, rather thrown off by the informal addressing. He didn't even think that anyone else in the League remembered his name.

"When we raided Luthor's lab, we found some documents that noted you'd been an experiment in his labs. A sort of addiction gene injection. Is this true?" Diana questioned. Roy's defenses went back up in a heartbeat, acting like a wall against his emotions and the rest of the world. Ollie's hand on his shoulder brought his iron will back down.

"Unwillingly…" Roy murmured. He hated feeling so exposed. That was his and Ollie's secret. And it wasn't a lab… but now he could figure out whose side Luthor was actually on.

"Well, we found something that will interest you. Or, I should say, someone." Diana said as she pushed the door open. Inside, a young man sat still on the bed.

He had bright red hair, just like Roy's.

And bright blue eyes… just like Roy's.

And a body just like Roy's.

Exactly like Roy's.

"Green Arrow, Red Arrow… I'd like you to meet Roy Harper."

* * *

My brain gave out. Off to mess with the cats.


	11. Imminent

Ok, just a heads up, all of the other chapters of this story will be taken down periodically over the next few weeks to be slightly revised. This story got too fluffy and not exactly where I wanted it. So… going to be doing some reconstruction, but same idea overall. Just adjusting some wording and increasing the darkness.

Reviews: Flower-Child14, Miyuki Tanaka, yaoifanfake, Karinnaa, Solitude-Garden, and MyLittleAngelxxx

Major thanks to MyLittleAngelxxx, cuz she brought me back to this fiction! Again! Yeah… my life's a little busy, and I'm human. So major thanks for bring me back. I forget to do stuff!

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Please read and review. It means a lot to me.

Me no own DC. Or Green Arrow. Or…well, anything comic ownership wise.

* * *

After weeks of being trapped indoors, Roy was eager to get out and do something. He had recovered nicely so far, and the idea of getting a chance to kick some evil moron's butt was too tempting to pass up. So, after hours of drilling Ollie to let him out for a while, he found himself on the roof tops of Star City. Clad in his, yes- his uniform. Not the original Roy Harper's uniform. It was his. It had been his since he became Speedy, and he had earned his colors every day through sweat, pain and the occasional tears. Not that he'd admit to the tears, but that was a guy thing. Totally a guy thing.

"So, where are the creeps this time?" Roy asked, trying to keep conversation between his mentor and himself flowing so Ollie wouldn't think he was drifting into the dark part of his mind again.

The last week had been spent witling away the overwhelming frustration and confusion brought on by the real Roy Harper's reappearance. Ollie and Dinah had been so supportive, and had even found time to deal with both Roy's. The real Roy was confused and seemed to be missing a great number of years from his memory. Poor kid still thought he was fifteen. Talk about a way to wake up from a coma. One day you're looking forward to driving a car, and the next, you wake up to find out you've missed six years of your life and are able to drink in a few months. You've missed the better years of your teenager life, and everyone thought you were dead except for your clone. A clone who was used as a puppet by the Light, nearly killed when he tried to save the League, and happens to be sporting your arm. The kid said he didn't hold it against clone Roy, how could he? The clone didn't decide that he was going to be born. And it wasn't his fault that the Light captured the original Roy to make him. He was just a puppet. Red Arrow didn't feel the same way. He'd taken over a life he wasn't supposed to have. He had become something that wasn't supposed to exist.

It had taken a lot of time, energy and comfort to get Red back to where he belonged. On the bright side, Ollie had been keeping close to the kid at all times. The real Roy Harper was catching up with Guardian, and wasn't too demanding for Ollie's time. He apparently didn't feel that connected to the blonde billionaire, but that was understandable. He'd only known him for a few months after his parents had died, and didn't have nearly as much history as Ollie had with Red Arrow.

"They should be in warehouse fourteen. Bats said they had explosives, so keep on your guard."Ollie replied. It felt good to be back on patrol with the kid. The better memories of their younger days came flooding back to the archer's mind, reminding him of everything he liked about the kid. Red was so well trained, he managed to keep every movement in tune with Ollie's without even having to think about it. Ollie sincerely doubted that the real Roy was willing to play catch up to his Roy.

His Roy.

Yup. He still loved the sound of that. This was his Roy. The Roy he'd trained, dealt with, and fought every day since the brat came to live with him.

Ollie's thoughts ceased once they reached the warehouse. This would be just another routine break in and bust some jaws. Once they had subdued the illegal weapons transporters, they could leave them there for the cops to deal with.

"Ready?" Ollie jested as he raised his bow to fire the first gas arrow. A smoke screen was always a good distraction when explosives were involved. It wouldn't risk blowing up the joint before they managed to get in. As the arrow hit its target, both Arrow's started to move towards the target. The gas quickly took over the area, shielding them in the large cloud as they pressed forward.

"Who's there?!" One of the goons yelled as they heard a gun clip being fumbled with. Great, just what they needed. Impersonal deadly weapons in the hands of undertrained fools.

Red Arrow dodged behind the boxes to the side, making sure to keep Ollie in his sights as the other man mirrored the tactic on the other side of the warehouse. If they could get high enough on the crates, they would have a good advantage over their targets.

Climbing almost to the top of the crates, Roy took his position and launched a knock out arrow at one of the goons, effectively giving the brute a good punch to the face. He watched the man fall as he took aim for the next one, only to be beat by a green tailed arrow. He smirked at his mentor. It felt good to be back on the job.

A heavy metal edge came into the back of Roy's head, knocking him from the crates. He hit the floor with a rough and sickening thud as he curled into himself.

_Fuck that hurt_. His head started to imitate a rave as lights flickered behind his eyelids and his blood tried to learn how to play the drums. He gripped his head as he pushed himself back up, trying to sit as he regained his equilibrium. He heard grunts, thumps and thuds of Ollie taking out some unexpected rage on some of the goons. Forcing his eyes open, Roy saw all of the remaining thugs lying on the floor behind an approaching Ollie.

"Where does it hurt?" Ollie asked as he kneeled in front of Roy, gently pulling the kid into his chest as he checked for injuries.

"My head hurts." Roy mumbled out. He didn't mean to mumble, but it came out as a bumbled mess of words. He must have hit the ground harder than he thought. He closed his eyes as Ollie ran his strong hands over the kids body, checking for cuts or swelling areas. He stopped at Roy's head as he gently ran three fingers over the kid's skull repetitively.

"You've got some swelling on your head. Let's get you back to the tower so the doc can check you out." Ollie said as he slid his arms under the kids legs and around his back. Roy noted that he couldn't really feel below his legs. He could still wiggle his toes, but the rest of it just felt numb, as if someone had tied a large rope around his middle to cut off circulation. He brushed it off as an aftershock of the fall, and allowed himself to be coddled by Ollie.

"Mumfph…mumm…mpf…" Roy grumbled unintelligibly. Ollie smirked at the kid as he pulled the kid as close as he could to his chest. He let a small kiss escape his lips, not that the kid would notice. If he held it long enough, he'd probably chalk it up to normal contact in this situation. Ollie didn't want to scare the kid off with the display of affection. This Roy- his Roy- meant the world to him. And losing him once was enough to convince Ollie never to push the kid away again.

"It's ok. Let's get you to base, then we can go home." Ollie replied.

"Mumph…mpfh…" Roy mumbled again. Ollie smirked at the kid, understanding what he was grumbling about.

"After we get you patched up. Besides, movies don't look as good when you can't keep your head up." Ollie joked to the kid as he nuzzled the still slightly arrogant kid.

* * *

"What?" Lex growled.

"He took a bad spill during a mission. We are receiving some unsettling data from the chip." His secretary replied. Lex didn't like what he was hearing and quickly sat up in his chair, ready for the worst.

"Explain." The CEO demanded.

"The vital signs were altered for fourteen minutes, and Roy's seem to have stabilized. The project's have not. They are continuing to accelerate." His secretary said. Lex stared at her for a moment, taking everything in.

"Which means?" The CEO demanded.

"Regression is imminent."

* * *

Ok… didn't mean to use the secretary this much… so… might want to think of a name for her soonish. Kinda… I don't know. I'll think about it. That might be it for her though.

Sorry MLA, but I had to rewrite something. This worked better for what I have planned.


	12. Bird Nest

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Please read, enjoy, and review if you don't mind.

I don't own these charcacters, DC does. I make no money off this.

Yaoi alert~ major slashage~

* * *

The chair shattered as it hit the wall, followed shortly by a roar filled with rage.

Lex couldn't calm down in light of such news. This was horrible. Millions wasted on this hellion of a sidekick, only to find that the clone was just as rebellious as the original. And now the project was being terminated thanks to one tiny little fall. There was no way to reverse it now. It wasn't bad enough that none of their technology could accommodate for the hormone incubation period without chancing an energy loss on cell sets, which would terminate it all the same; but now the only test subject that had been able to take the implantation and survive for more than a week was going to fall right into the Justice League's hands!

"Sir! Please! There is no reason to be so irrational!" The secretary yelped as she took cover behind the overturned desk. Lex was trying to catch his breath as his muscles screamed in tension.

"Tell…me…" Lex growled as he tried to keep his anger under control.

"Pardon, sir?" The secretary peeped from her shielded hideout behind the desk. Lex looked at her, rage still bubbling over.

"Tell me. Do we still have the formula?" Lex growled. The secretary nodded.

"And the DNA?" Lex asked again. The secretary took a moment to look at her pad, and then nodded.

"Good…good…" Lex huffed as he collapsed on the overturned couch, slouching on the back of the overturned furniture.

"Can I get you something to eat or drink, sir?" The secretary asked as she exited her bunker, ready to dive back in if he started to yell again. Lex released a heavy sigh as he rubbed his eyes.

"Scotch." Lex huffed as he tried to calm himself. Booze was good. Booze was great. Booze was perfect. Booze couldn't give him any more bad news. Unless it caught on fire.

A cold glass pressed itself into his hands less than a minute later. He swallowed the burning liquid in a single gulp, and pressed the still cold glass against his forehead as he tried to ease his growing his headache. He needed a vacation badly, and longed for just one thing to go right in this plan. It wasn't a big portion of his company, but it was a personal need that he was trying his best to fulfill. He had a fair bit of success with Superboy, but now the kid wouldn't even try to talk to him. Ever since he had become buddy-buddy with the perfect assed boy scout with his underwear outside (not that Lex was staring or anything…).

Apparently, his goal was a lot further away than he expected.

* * *

Roy awoke with a huge headache. The room was spinning and people were talking in rapid firing, worried voices. He recognized one as Ollie, but the other one was a woman. Ollie's blurred voice came across as panicked, and confused. Roy was used to hearing a little panic when something bad had happened, but confusion was very strange to hear in his mentor's voice.

"That's not possible. He's not a druggie!" Ollie sputtered as Roy's ears decided to fizzle into normal hearing ranges. He tried to hold his head, but found the familiar hands of Dinah holding him down as his head was inspected. He didn't try to move away, but rather groaned loudly to get their attention.

"Roy!" Ollie yelped as he nearly flung himself on the bed, gripping the boy's apparently nude torso. Ollie's hands grabbed what he could, holding the boy to his still clothed chest as Dinah smacked him in the head with a wet cloth. The soaking fabric didn't do anything to deter the distraught man from clutching the red head to his body.

"Ol-Ollie. Let go." Roy moaned as he tried to reach up and ease his mentor's distress. Roy felt Ollie press his nose into the soft part of his stomach, and Roy couldn't help but let out a small moan as the pressure there seemed to increase. It wasn't pleasant, but it felt like someone was trying to shove his intestines out through his ass.

"Wha- what happened?" Roy asked as he tried to curl into himself. Ollie started to get up, but brought Roy's torso with him, holding the kid to his chest. Dinah and the doctor took that as a sign to leave the two alone.

"Kid… do you- do you remember what happened that night you were attacked by the Joker?" Ollie started carefully. Roy nodded, trying not to move too much. His body felt like he'd just gotten off the worst roller coaster he'd ever withstood.

"Unfortunately." Roy replied. He didn't want to think about that night. Ollie had been so tolerant of his rude, childish ass. Roy didn't want to upset the man, but it looked like he was a little late on that point.

"Roy. The, um…. The doctor took some blood- and, well, you are- uh. You were, I guess I should say-" Ollie stumbled on his words. Roy tried to be careful and not snap at the flubbing words, no matter how much it annoyed him.

"Ollie, it's ok." Roy eased the man into comfort. He could feel the stress release into the air, and Ollie seemed to regain a bit of composure.

"Roy, you're showing signs of addiction. And it may have caused some… 'damage'." Ollie relinquished. Roy was floored by the message. He'd been clean since the day he got his ass kicked, so he shouldn't have been showing any medical signs of it, right?

"What kind of damage?" Roy asked, unsure of what to make of this whole situation.

"The kind that might have you in your grave in a few months if we don't get your DNA to the cloning program." The doctor said as she approached the bed, cotton swab in hand and ready to jump.

"No. No programs." Roy insisted. Ollie glared at the kid, stunned at the bark he'd givent eh doctor. The white clad woman backed off, hands in the air, and slowly motioned that she'd be by the door for a few minutes.

"Roy- please. I know this is all insane and shit, but- but I don't want to lose you again." Ollie begged as he pulled the kid into a hug. Roy held onto the man, fearing that he'd disappear in a moment.

"Ollie. No programs. I don't want to be another experiment." Roy growled, his voice chopping off at the end as he gripped the man even harder.

"Roy, it's going to Queen Industries this time. We made sure of it. Nothing bad will happen to your stuff. I'll even make sure you get to burn the remainder yourself." Ollie offered. Roy had to stop for a moment before slowly agreeing to the cloning.

"You promise, though. No more hidden experiments or random clones showing up?" Roy hushed, the fear evident in his voice. Only Ollie would have heard it, but Dinah would have just recognized it as Roy being cautious.

"No clones. Promise. Just us from now on. Just the family." Ollie whispered, holding the kid tightly. Roy didn't stop the tears from gliding to Ollie's shirt, thankfully blocked from Dinah's view. In the back of his mind, he knew he shouldn't be crying, but he just couldn't find the strength to stop right now. His chest hurt and his head tried to roll away from him as he pressed his face into the green fabric of the man's shirt.

"Roy, if you're ready, I can call the doc back in." Dinah spoke from the other side of the room, where she seemed to be pretending to be a ninja while the boys had their moment. Roy nodded as he wiped the salty remnants from his cheeks before relaxing back on the bed.

Ollie's larger body eased off the tired, sore man and rested itself back on the edge of the bed. Roy gladly met the swab as it wiped itself over his lip, gaining the cells it needed to start the process. He held Ollie's sleeve with all his might as soon as the doctor left the room. He didn't want to let the man leave him quite yet.

"I'll be right back. I'm just going to get Bats to lock the door with the heavy bolts after I come back. I don't want anyone to disturb us. Not when you need the rest." Ollie said, even as Roy shivered and shook his head. Ollie didn't want to leave him, but the kid was out of it. Chances were this was about the climax of the battle towards sanity, but they couldn't stop now. Ollie closed the door and started to run. Nearly colliding with the central control rooms' door, he rushed in to see Batman watching the screens intently. The man didn't even turn towards him as he tried to catch his breath.

"Bats, I need to ask you to do something." Ollie started. He silently thanked that they were alone in the room, not that it would have held him back anyways. The black and grey clad man barely acknowledged him until the archer was right beside him.

"Bats?" Ollie asked again. Batman turned towards him slowly, eyes covered with white out slips.

"I know what you want, Arrow. I can give the room a lockdown for twelve hours, but I need a promise before I can allow that." Batman replied.

"What do you need?" Ollie panicked. Bats held his hand up for a moment, trying to calm the man.

"Look, I know you want to protect him, but he needs a doctor. I need to know that if you feel he's having trouble, you won't let him talk you out of hitting the emergency call button." Bats growled.

"You know I would. I'd go to hell and back for that kid, a little fussiness isn't going to stop me from getting him help." Ollie replied. Bats turned back to the screen and started typing again.

"I'll lockdown the doors after you're in." Batman coldly replied. He watched the archer's reflection grumble and pout as he stalked away.

Batman knew that it had to be stressful on both of them, but now wasn't the time to get ahead of themselves. A moment of thinking brought the Dark Knight to his own brood. Nightwing, Batgirl, and Robin meant the world to him. Ever since Jason had died, he had taken a bad habit of wanting to keep them out of danger, even if it meant they were mad at him for a few days. Nightwing ended up going out on his own, but Robin stopped listening to him until Bruce had let Jason go. All of that got that much more muddled after Jason had returned only a month ago, throwing everyone a curve ball. Nightwing was the first to really embrace his odd return (after all, the kid had killed a few drug lords in Gotham, and only agreed to come home when Nightwing and Robin had managed to corner and pin him after another assassination on the new drug mules). Jason was still 'recovering' in the Wayne mansion with Nightwing- which was why Bruce and Tim had to sleep in their respective second bedrooms at the tower and Mount Justice. Those two were ridiculously loud! Poor Alfred had already taken his vacation for the year, and Bruce had even given him an extension until further notice (because, let's face it, who knew how long it would be until the two boys finished getting reacquainted).

Ollie had stormed off some time ago, but Batman was more concerned with watching the monitors to see the doctors leaving the red head's room again. From the monitor, Bruce could see that the kid was out of it again. He personally thanked whatever force was out there that the kid was asleep. It had been a trying day on everyone, and most of it was just keeping information under wraps. Ollie entered the room with a look of pure surliness, which sprinted from his face the second the metal door locked behind him with a hiss. He must have thought it was going to be hours before the doctors were done. With a look to the camera, Ollie chose to settle down in the large bed with Roy.

Batman turned the automated lights down to let them have their rest, and then turned the camera's to nocturnal watch. It wasn't that he didn't trust Ollie with Roy, but if something happened in the middle of the night, he didn't want the pair to have to wait until morning to get help. Especially with Roy under so many meds. Given, he was a druggie, but that didn't excuse him from being able to overdose on sleeping pills (particularly medical grade sleeping pills).

* * *

Dick's eyes shot open when he felt the pressure move off his arm. He glanced over at the bathroom door just as the light went on and the door closed. A few minutes passed as he waited for Jason to finish before he looked at the clock.

_4:00 in the morning?_ He thought to himself as he waited for the warm mess of psychological stress to return to his bed. Between all their love making, they had managed to turn his typically well kept bed into a bird's nest. The blankets were curled around the pair and only one was being used as its original purpose. Not that they even needed it. The room was so perfectly cool, it felt good just being tangled up in each other.

Dick shut his eyes and waited until the familiar weight of Jason's bruised and scarred form settled next to him. He threw his arm back over the anti-hero and pressed a kiss into his cheek. He heard Jason laugh a little as his face contorted into a smile.

"I'd say mornin', but I think you want to go for another round before going back to sleep." Jason murmured into his bedmates' ear before giving him a little kiss. Dick gladly accepted as he brought his other arm around, pulling the slightly younger man into a warm hold and dragging him up onto his chest. He loved to see Jason with his annoyed teddy bear look. It had grown on him over the past week of barely leaving this room and exploring each other's bodies.

"Every morning I wake up to you is a good morning." Dick replied as he pressed a gentle kiss on the younger man's forehead. He'd missed him so much, but had to cope with it faster than Bruce did. The team always liked to pry into his personal affairs, and he could only hold them off for so long.

"Majorly corny man…" Jason mumbled as he smiled into Dick's chest as he rested his head against the well toned muscles. Dick smirked as he rubbed circles on the kid's back.

"Think we should go back to work today?" Jason asked as he allowed his hands to explore the other man's abdomen. His fingers slowed every few inches to impress themselves on the musculature of the only man he'd ever wanted to be with. Bruce had finally taken his place in Jason's mind as a father figure, Tim was a little too young for his current (and most likely typical) taste, and no one else fit as well as Dick.

"Perhaps in a few hours. I just want to spend this quiet time making sure you're real." Dick said as he placed a kiss on Jason's lips, savoring the flavor of the renegade. He felt the brat smile against his lips.

"Good. Maybe he'll know what happened to Roy by then." Jason replied as he rolled over to fit himself perfectly against Dick's right side. Dick wrapped his arm around the kid, caressing the rebel's perfect muscles. Unsure of what to say, Dick pressed another elongated kiss into his lover's hair, holding it there as a way of saying 'I wish I could say more, but let's not talk about this now'.

* * *

….fizzle…fizzle… fizzle…. Pfffttttt….

Ok, brain went bye bye. Sorry but that's all I have for you right now. Check back again in three weeks. The story goes on for… maybe 4 more chapters? I don't know. I usually write until it either works itself out or until my brain gets tired of the story. So, I hope you've enjoyed this so far, and I hope to see you back here next time! Thanks for reading! Feel free to see some of my other stories if you're bored!


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